uiL'iZ! ••. i3iL«li!
il'il 1
0! il' E! 0130 ElisJ
iL'ii! 'Ill'
I3fi!ii!ii!
BIG PRIZE
competitions!
-¥-Coleco console
with Atori adaptor
-¥- Vectr ex system
The SUPERCHARGER
has arrived!
Full details inside
Over 200
gomes
30 NEW ones!
TV
7^
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HT^O
THC
FINISH
A
otftue
piven
OF NO
■
bridges
wave
■^L
A**1
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battle
Ga* 8 *' ""jus" 101
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ATARI
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MATTEL £Lf CTROniCS
llMtEUiViSiON
SAVE WITH OUR "BUY-BACK'OPTION
&
°<^
Calling all video gamers ( * .
introducing 'Gamesters" who'll bring you all the
top games for your Atari VCS (2600) and Matt '
Intellivision outfit.
AH the leading titles from the big-name
manufacturers can be yours. And with our amazing
'Buy-Back" option, your new game will cost i
fraction of shop price.
Here's how it works . . .
* Choose your game from our comfjjehensive li
OTfJt
Complete the Wder form ond send it to us with
cash, cheque, P.O. or quote your credit card
number. Or, of course, you can phone in on our
order Hotline,
* You II receive your games in about a week
(subject to availability) together with our
special Buy- Back Certificate.
* If you don't lik^he gome or have simply
become bored with it, send it bock to us
together with your Option Certificate- Providing
the Buy-Back dote on the Certificate hasn't
expired — you'll have around 28 days — ond
the game, together with its instruction book and
packaging is in perfect condition, well credit
you with at least 80°o of the price agoinst your
next order!
Simple isn't it?
ATARI GAMES
Ctt No. Tltto
INTELLIVISION GAMES
Price Buy-Bock Cat. No. -"Title
Price Buy-Bad Oil Nu Title
Price Buy-Back Cat. No. Title
Price fluv-flaci
CX2813
<:X2602
931504
CX2649
1 A3 203
CX2617
Axoia
GXMM
CX 2620
CX2624
CX2650
CX2626
AG022
CX2664
OC2622
aX013
COL75309
CY2852
CX2876
Spectra
vision
AX015
CX 2630
CX2643
CX2601
CX2642
IA3204
5A203
CX2609
If the ■•■>
Adventure
Air Sea Battle
Amidar
Aiteroida
Atlanta
Backgammon
BarnAturmtnK
Bask Matha
Basic Programming
BfAetbuU
Benerk
Bowling
Boxing
BromGc
Breakou!
Bridge
Carnival
(JISUIO
Cantipedn
I
10 95
19.90
29.95
24 .W
27.95
1895
24 95
14.95
18 95
14.99
2999
18.95
13.95
24 94
IB 95
2495
2995
1895
2999
I
1516
15.99
2396
1999
22.36
15.16
1996
11.98
15.10
1199
2399
15.16
1M6
\\i *r.
15 !0
19 96
23.96
15.16
2399
China Syndrome
Chopper Command
Circus Atari
Cudehrealer
Cambul
Concentration
Cosmic: Ark
Cross Force
Defends
1A3200 Demon Attack 2995 23 96
CX2615 DainooitnDiamondi 1999 15.99
CX2637 Dodge 'em 1895 15.16
COL75259 Donkey Konff 2995 2396
1A3611 Dragon Fire 27.95 22.36
AC001 Dramter 1395 11.16
CX2674 B.T. The Extra
Terreetrial 2999 23.99
1A3400 FlreF«htor 2295 16\36
AG004 Pishing Derby 1395 11.16
AG009 Freeway 1B.95 15 .16
931402 Progger 2995 23.96
5664 FrogB'D'Flhia 9.95 7.96
CX2684 Galaiian 2999 23.99
SA20I Gangster Alley 19 95 1 596
CX2634 Golf 14.99 1199
COL75344 Govt 2995 23 96
AX014 Grand Prix 24.95 19 96
CX2862 Hangman 1495
f 1X2654 Haunted House 19 99
CX2627 Human Cennonball 14.95
AX012 Ice Hockey 2495
CX2611 IndySOO 24 99
5887 International Soccer 9 95
AG0O9 Kflboom 1695
AG006 Uaerbleai 1695
5663 Lock ii Chase 12.95
2004 Lost Luggage 1995
CX2658 Moth Gran Pn* 14 99
11 Wi
1599
19.95 15.96 CX2627 Human Cennonball 1495 11.96
2495 19.96 AX012 Ice Hockey 2495 19.96
1999 1599 CX2611 Indy 500 24.99 19 96
16 95 15.16 5687 tnleraationai Soccer 995 7.96
14.95 11.96 AG0O9 Kflboom 16.95 15.16
1695 15.16 AG006 LenefMluil 16 95 15.16
2795 22.36 5663 Lock n Chase 12.95 10 36
19 95 15.96 2004 Loet Luggage 1995 15 96
29.99 2399 CX2658 Math Gran Prix 14.99 1 1 .99
you want la eol Baled, plaaae eaqnbra about availability. New titles are always bebtg added.
Please rush me the following aame(a) for my Atari VCSL1 intelUvlaianl . tick box
"I
Qtv
Car No.
i itle
Price
Buy Back Price
4
1
Name
Age (if under 1BJ_
Aiiilreai
lown
Poalrode
1 enclose choque/P O.Jcash* fnr t_ _
representing the full catalogue price. (Delate ea appropriate)
l*Del«te uu appropriate)
Please credit my Access/Visa
card number
1 understand that to qualify for the special Buy-Back deal, I must return the game, complete as
supplied in perfect condition, together with the Buy Back Certificate and reorder a new nnn«s>l
within the lime specified on the Certificate.
CX2635 Mate Crase
EAX017
CXZ626
CX2636
COL75291
CX2675
SA206
CX2633
16104
CX2639
CX2605
CX2646
CX2616
CX2673
AX16
SA202
CX26S9
2003
931506
1A36O0
AX020
16564
AX002
2005
1001
AGO05
CX2629
CX2606
COU5291
2002
2001
CX2632
CX28G4
AN021
931503
AG001
AX016
CX2660
16609
1A3201
931507
93501
CX2612
CX2G06
CX2831
CX2641
SA204
AG007
CX2616
1A3000
Megamania
Miniature Golf
Missile Command
Mousetrap
MSPac-Man
Neiar
Night DritW
No Escape
Othelio
CX2669
COL75Z83
CX2636
CX2645
CX2621
CX2648
CX2666
CX2610
COL7535B
CX2655
COL75275
16597
Outlaw
Pac-Man
Pete Soccer
Phoenix
Pitfall
Planet Patrol
Raiders of
the Loet Ark
Kaquetbail
Reactor
Kiddle of the Sphinx
River Raid
Scuba
Sea Quesl
Shark Attack
Skeet Shoot
Skiing
Sky Diver
Slot Racer*
Smurf
Space Cavern
Space Chaw
Spain Invaders
Space War
Spider Fighter
Spiderman
Stampede
Starmaster
Star Raiders
Slarslorm
Star Voyager
Star Ware— a
|edl Arena
SlarWara —
The Empire
Strike* Back 2995
Street Racer 18 95
Super Breakout 1999
Superman 24.95
Surround 14.95
TapeWorm 1995
Tennis 16.95
3-DTicTecToo 1495
Trick Shot 2295
Tron OeodJvlhjfcC* 1295
Vanguard 2999
Venture 29.95
Video Checkers 14.99
Video Chesa 1895
Video Olympics ia.95
Video Pinball 14.99
Volleyball 1999
Warlords 1999
WtaardofWor 24^5
Yara Revenge 24.99
Za&xon 29 95
7-on« 27.95
1495
2499
2995
2999
19 y'j
1999
2795
1499
1499
2999
2495
2999
2995
1995
2999
19.95
2*- *!>
27.95
2995
27.95
29 95
1995
13.95
16 95
1495
1495
29.95
13 95
1395
2499
1499
2995
2995
IN 95
2495
29.99
27 95
2795
t
15.99
23 96
11.96
1999
23.96
23.99
1596
15 99
:: Mi
1199
11.99
1996
2 3 1*»
2396
15.96
2399
15.96
2396
22 36
2 J W
2236
22.96
1596
11.18
1516
1196
11.96
2396
11.16
11.16
19.19
1199
23 96
23 96
15.16
2399
22.36
22.36
2995 23.96
23.96
15.16
1599
1996
11.96
1596
15.16
11.96
18.36
10.36
2399
23.96
1199
15.16
15.16
11.99
15 99
15.99
I ^ ps
1999
23 96
22.16
3410 Advance Dungeons S
Dragons
Cloudy Mountain 25 95
1121 Armor Battle 2195
3605 Afltraamaah 2195
1M10524 Atlantis IMS
1113 Auto Racing 21 95
3884 B17 Bomber 29 95
1119 Backgammon 1595
2614 Baseball 2195
2615 Basketball 1595
IM 10540 Beauty and the beast 31.45
3333 Bowling 2195
1619 Boxing 21.95
4549 Burger Tune 29 "5
COL76307 Carnival 2995
1120 Checkers 1595
3412 Chosa 2995
1M10537 Demon Attack :i!95
COL76257 Donkey Kong 29.95
IM10607 Dracula 2991
IM10579 Dragonflre 29 95
5301 FrogBotf 21.95
ItJfl Golf 21.95
COL76349Gorf 2995
1 1 23 Horse Rating 2 1 95
ni4 IceHockey 2195
1M10582 Ice Trek 29 95
5837 Lock V Chase 25.95
4436 Loco-Motion 21 .95
2813 Math Fun 1595
1M10553 Micro Surgeon 21.95
4437 Mission X 2595
5305 Night Stalker 2595
16539 Nova Blast 2995
MP002 Pitfall 24.95
2611 Poker Ik Blackiack 1595
5304 Reveru 1595
5303 Royal Dealer 2595
1118 Roulette 15.95
16625 Safe Cracker 29 95
1616 Sea Battle 21.95
5638 Sharp Shot 2195
1817 Skiing 21.95
3758 Snafu 2195
1663 Soccer 21.95
3759 Space Armada 21 95
2612 Space Battle 2195
5136 Space Hawk 21.95
3418 Space Spartans 29.95
MP001 Stampede 2495
1323 StarStrika 21.95
3406 Sub Hunt 21.95
IM10566 Swords A Serpent* 2995
1814 Tennis 2195
3760 Triple Action 2195
5391 Tron Deadly Disirs 21 .95
5392 Tron-Maie A Tron 2595
5893 Tron Solar Sailer 25.95
16555 Tropical Trouble 29 95
2610 US Football 1595
5149 Utopia 2195
5788 Vectron > ^
186612 WhiteWater 29 95
4552 Winter Olympics 2595
001.76356 WuuirdofWor 29 95
1122 Word Fun 15 95
2396
17.56
17.56
2396
17.56
2396
12.76
17.56
1276
25.16
17.56
17.56
2 J 96
2396
12.76
23.96
2556
HM
23 96
2396
1756
17.56
njfl
17.56
17.56
2306
2076
17 56
12.76
25.56
20 76
2076
23 96
1996
12.76
12.76
20.76
12.76
1 1 H
17.56
17.58
17.56
17.56
1756
17.56
17.56
17.56
23.96
1 1 N
1756
1756
23*6
1736
17.56
17.56
20.76
20 76
2396
12.76
17.56
2396
UN
20 76
2J96
1176
Signature
IMS
CREDIT CARD HOT LINE
01-206 0665
Return to "Gamesters" Horton-Carlyle Limited
Masons House 1-3 Valley Drive Kingsbury London NW9 9NG
CONTENTS
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the second issue of TV Gamer.
There are some 30 new games reviewed in this edition, but some
of the entries from the last issue have been withdrawn. Occasionally
companies announce plans to launch in this country and then for
some reason change their minds. Two brands who have done this
since our last issue are Data Age and Zimag. Apollo did enjoy a
brief period of distribution before the problems of their American
company proved too much, and they vanished from the scene.
However we will continue to include their cartridges in our reviews
as their games may still be in libraries or rental clubs.
Several readers wondered why we don't include a marking or
grading system with our reviews. Well, we have looked at this many
times but can't see how we can introduce it. The video world is
changing so fast that any such system would become unworkable.
For example, when Pac-Man appeared we would surely have given
it high marks. So what do we do when Ms Pac-Man comes out? Or
the next, even better game? And how do we select the cartridge we
choose to review?
Well, we have three rules.
1 There must be a reasonable distribution through shops or by post.
2 We have to have a sample for test. We won't review a cartridge
when all we are given is a copy of the American packaging and game.
3 A very few cartridges we deliberately leave out. So far there are
only six we have censored all because of their adult nature.
T
&r
Publisher and Editor
Brian Williamson
Designers
Kelly Flynn
Alastair Carlisle
Subeditors
Teresa Can
KateKirby
Contributors
Darrin Williamson
Colin Crosby
Circulation Managtt
Robin Judd
Production Manager
Marlyn Langley
Commercial Directot
John Young
Editorial, display advertising and circulation
departments 187-185 Oxford Street, London
^rVlR 1AJ Telephone 439-2931, Published by
ijytanbrook Lid. Reg. ofllce 12 Great fames St,
London WC1N3DR
©BoytonbrcokLid. 1963
All contributions including colour U unsparwidM
and photographs submitted to the magazine are
sent at the owner's risk and. while every euro is
5:ik-:*n. rwHhoi Boytanboak Ud n ■> Itec \*-u^
accept liability lor loss or damage.
Atari and VCS are registered trod© marks ol Alan
UK Ltd. IntelbvistonisangistondQ-cidemarkol
Mattel UK Ltd. Voctrex tea registered trade mark ol
MB. Games Ltd. Colecovisian is a registered trade
mark of CB&Colecovis*on lid
Supercharger is a registered trade name ot
Starpath Inc.
Pnnted by Southernpnnt Ud
GUIDE TO THE LISTINGS:
explaining our software listing system
and games categories 8
SYSTEM REVIEWS
CBS/CoJecovision: details of the first
three modules and news of the third
module's computer update 12
Atari: still the most popular TV games
system in the world 18
Intelli vision: news of some new
accessories 42
Vecfrex; advance news of some
incredible add-ons 50
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
All the game cartridges, including the
new releases
CBS/CoJecovision 15
Atari 20
Intelli vision 44
Vecfrex ^ 53
Consumer guide: looking at
controllers and accessories 5
Special report: the Supercharger
tested 56
Competitions: Win a Coleco and
an Atari adaptor! 17
WinaVectrex! ... 51
Club news: including your
letters 50
Where to buy 62
Questionnaire 63
Subscription form 64
Trade information 66
Who are the Reviewers?
First and foremost they have to be
avid gamers - real players rather
than professional journalists. The
team consists of five writers. Sonya
Bradford aged 15, Jeremy Allen and
Matthew Willson both aged 17. and
our newest member Ray Davis
aged 24, a successful applicant
who wrote in from last issue. Finally
our Chief Reviewer is Darrin
Williamson aged 17.
Beating any video game is easy, Out
beating it single handed takes a lot mote
It takes a good Joystick mat is responsive
ond comfortable Now with Spectravisions
new Quick-Shot™ Joystick Controller, you can
do it oil single-handed, control ond tire at the same time.
One look at the handle ond you know you'll hove o better gnp on
your game It's contour design fits comfortably around your palm You
can play tor hours without developing a cose of sore thumb The
firepower button on top ot the handle gives you that extra margin of
THE WINNING EDGE.
ATARI VCS SYSTEM
SEARS VIDEO ARCADE
VIC-20 COMPUTER
ATARI 400 & 800 COMPUTER
SYSTEMS
• NEC PC-6001 COMPUTER
speed (We didn't coll it Quick-Shot tor
nothing.) You also have the option to use
the left hand fire button simultaneously
The four removable suction cups hold the
entire joystick firmly on any surface, it also comes with o long cord.
With all those superior features in one joystick, you know you got
yourself o winning combination. And when it comes to beating video
games one hand is all you needl
Get the Quick-.*? ot™ now, you'll be that much ahead. After all.
winning is what every gome is all about.
jfMk-TM
CONTOUR HANDLE OPTIONAL LEFT HAND UNIVERSAL JACK &
AND RAPID FIRE BUTTON FIRE BUTTON LONG CORD
REMOVABLE SURE
FOOT SUCTION CUPS
\ \y Phone for details of nearest
by XHWs&I&d ? oc ri kist : a'-* 3 ^' 7
Trade enquiries Welcome
^CKMU'S-HlrtndUIMMM^tf^M^iUCllfl^COini ^TUwK^iMiwjaJWVTIFfVSfl^'MeM^TliaO^*^*****^^^!*^; '3A*SrflflMi:A0t»a*TM»l<M0iM«<S *«miO*CD '»C» f, WAm«0UttA*a"Ciwva:OH
CONSUMER GUIDE
Improving your gome
with
Dual hand operated Joysticks
Atari joystick
CXV4004 Atari £13.99 (pair)
£6.90 (each)
This is the standard controller thai comes
comes with every Atari 2600. As con-
trollers go. it is certainly a very good
piece of hardware. However it is by no
means perfect. For a start the action
burton is on the left-hand side which puts
a right-handed player at a distinct ad-
vantage. Also many people who grip the
controller with their whole hand find the
stick is too short for comfort. However, it is
the cheapest and by no means the worst
product on the market,
Atari Space Age joystick
Atari Price not yet available
In an attempt to beat the competition at
their own game Atari have brought out a
range of controllers which are better than
their standard one. The Space Age
joystick features a pistol grip and trigger.-
style action button with a short, respon-
sive joystick at the top. Ideal for Space
Invaders or Galajpan or any game
where you're in control of a gun of some
description-
Making the most of your system
Once you've bought a video games sys-
tem you needn't ) ust stop there- As well as
buying cartridges to expand your system
you can also buy all manner of other bits
and bobs.
So what can the gamer who wants to
expand his system get and, more im-
portantly, will it bankrupt him? This
article sets out to show you everything
that's around at the moment in terms ol
video games accessones as well as
what's planned for future months*
To begin with what is arguably the
most critical piece of hardware to a
gamer, the controller. After all, if you've
got a grotty controller, the chances ol you
doing well at a game are drastically re*
duced. Controllers come in all shapes
and sizes, the most common type being
the joystick. These are split up into two
distinct categones, (he ones you can hold
in one hand, and those that require two
hands to operate.
Atari Pro-Line Joystick
Atari
This is certainly a very fine alternative to
the Joysticks that come with the VCS. The
base fats comfortably into the palm of the
hand and the joystick has a smoother
action than the standard instrument. In
addition it has the benefit of two action
buttons, good news for left-handed
people- In all a very reasonable,
general- purpose control l< n
Competition Pro Joystick
Coin Controls £25.00
Coin Controls manufacture many ol the
arcade machine controllers, which is a
good enough recommendation in itself.
The stick is of sturdy construction and
uses the leaf-style contacts found in mosl
coin-ops. Another plus point is the two
large size action buttons, one on either
side. A bit pricey but worth saving up for.
especially if you're a gamer with little
hands!
Kraft Joystick
Kraft
This particular stick li^oneoi lb inallest
around, which tor some peoplo is an
i vantage and others a disadvar rge
It all comes down to personal tasl
and your styk ol play. It y : r
people who use a joystick by
: nding H with your thumb alone then
Til like the Kj tfl pi d ict B il | lay-
who control the stick w th : whole
hand may not like this one. The K
loystick was the favounte with our
resident leu year olds.
Starfighter'Slick Stick
Suncom £13.95/£9.95
The reason for reviewing these two pro-
ducts together is that they are essentially
the same stick but in two different styles.
The Starfighter is basically a smaller,
slightly more responsive version oi the
standard Atari joystick. The same goes
tor the Shck Stick except that where the
Starfighter has a straight stick, trie Slick
Stick has a ball on the end making it
easier to grip.
Tac2
Suncom £18-95
This teatures an arcade style metal shaft
with a black ball top and left- and right-
hand action buttons, which seem to seivo
their purpose well. In short lheTac2 is toe
best value up-market stick around at
present-
CONSUMER GUIDE
Joy-Sensor
Suncom £29.95
The Joy-Sensor is a totally different con-
cept in toystick-type controllers, Instead of
a joystick and a fire button you are given
two touch-sensitive panels- The stick (or
rather the round panel where the stick
would be) has a switch which gives you
four way or eight way game control. So if
the switch is put in the four way mode the
diagonal positions are switched off-
in this way, play is easier on games
like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong when the
diagonals are not used. The fire pad has
a hidden advantage as well: by touching
the centre of the panel you engage the
rapid fire feature. This is switchable so
you can use the rapid fire on the games
that benefit from it.
An expensive controller that does re-
quire a bit ol getting used to. However,
you do get what you pay for and, with
practise, you will improve your skill
Trak Ball
Wico £48-95
You may ask why the cost of a substitute
joystick is equivalent to the pnce of two
cartridges. The reason is that a Trak Ball ,
of any description, works on the principle
of electro magnets rather than switches.
This allows you to vary the speed at
which you move as well as the direction
in which you go. The Wico model is the
least attractive to look at. Nevertheless it
is still an eflective piece of equipment - if
you can afford it-
Pro Line Trak Ball
Atari
Atari were the creators of the Trak Ball in
the arcades on games like Missile
Command and Centipede, Thus it
seemed inevitable that Alan would come
up with a version of their hit controller for
the Atari 2600. The Atari Trak Ball is a lot
smaller than the Wico which means its a
hand-held controller rather than one lor
the table top*
Video Command Joystick
Imagic
A rather unusual looking instrument
which is in fact a controller from the old
Grandstand Videocart system. It's been
given a facelift and a different plug on the
end so that it will fit the VCS. Despite the
cosmetic changes this joystick was found
to be both difficult to get on with and not
strikingly better controlwise.
Single Hand Operated
joysticks
Le Stick
Datasoft £24.95
The only joystick currently on the market
that does not have, nor need, a base- The
instrument is tilled with mercury so you
merely have to tilt it m the direction you
wish to go- Rather hard to get on with a*
first, but it is probably elfective once you
have mastered it,
Quickshot
318-101 Spectravideo (Vulcan)
£11*95
This is definitely the best ioystick avail-
able at the lower end of the price range.
Thanks to the well designed contours, it s
comfortable to use. Stability is aided by
rubber suction cups that anchor the base
to the table top (fear not. it doesn't make
any marks), In terms of speed, respon-
siveness and comfort, combined with
value for money, the Quickshot wins
hands down.
Pointmaster Pro
Competition/Tournament
Discwasher £19.95/£22.95
Two very similar joysticks to come from
Disc washer. Both are reasonably re-
sponsive with a singlo-fire button at
the top and rather light bases. The
Tournament differs from the Competition
in that It has rubber suction cups to
stabilize the base as well as a built-in
rapid fire module (more about those
later).
Super/Pro Joystick
Wico £22>95/£27.95
These two sticks are similar in price and
appearance. The Super is cheaper and
has a straight all-plastic handle. The Pro
has a metal shaft with a red ball grip at
the top. Both have two buttons, one on
the stick apd one on the base, so either
I : ierence is catered for Wico seem to
specialise in high quality, top of the
range sticks and their pnees reflect this.
Joystick Accessories
There are a number of different access-
on&s - either out now or being launched
soon - that enhance an existing stick.
These are a more economical way of
upgrading controllers.
As lar as is known at least three people
are producing rapid fire modules. These
are plugged into the controller port and
the controller is plugged into it. Then,
when the lire button is pressed, you get a
continuous stream of fire.
Another economical way of upgrading
a standard Atan controller is the stick
stand. You fit the controller into the
caddy, which in effect gives the stick a
wider base making it more stable when
placed on a table top. A small red ball is
also supplied- This fits on the top of the
stick and allows you to use the stick as if it
were an arcade controller* You can
CONSUMER GUIDE
expect to pay around £7.95 for the device.
A useful accessory for left-handed
players is a connector that fits in between
the conventional stick and the console,
T>iis allows you to use an ordinary stick
but with the control button m the top nght
hand comer. There are currently two ol
these available and they cost somewhere
in the region of two to three pounds.
For the gamer who wants to sit as far
away from his console as possible,
twelve foot and six foot extension leads
are available from both Wica and
Suncom for between five and ten
pounds, If you're a gamer who would
rather not keep on changing controllers
there is a V splitter on the way that
allows you to plug two controllers into
each control port. So you could have a
joystick {any type) and paddles in one
and a joystick and touch pad in the other.
Everything mentioned so far is com-
patible with both the Atari VCS and the
Colecovision (along with computers like
the Atan 400/800 or 600X17800XL and the
Commodore VIC 2064).
However, Mattel Intellivision owners
may soon be able to buy an adaptor
capable of converting the disc into a
joystick. The US already have three. The
delay in bnnging these over has been
caused by Mattel (US) denouncing them
as putting additional strain on the cir-
cuitry In fact, this hasn't been proved
either way as yet.
loysticks and the standard paddle con-
trollers are fairly universal, that is to say
that nearly all the games available use
one or other {or both)- There are however
several games that require a special con-
troller or make the game more enjoyable
when one is used- Atari have made
several of these in the past, for instance
the driving controller for Atari's Indy 500.
Coleco are doing a similar thing with
their turbo drive module.
Coleco also plans to bring out other
controllers ior specific purposes. One of
these is the Super action controller which
can be used in conjunction with a range
of sports games. As well as having ioy-
stick and keypad functions it also has a
speed roller and four finger buttons so
plenty of control there* But don't expect to
see this in the shops fora while yet, its not
due out in the States until Christmas.
What will be available is the A tan Kid's
Controller which is to be used with the
new range of Kid's Library Games featur-
ing Muppet and Disney characters. The
controller itsell is virtually the same as a
video touch pad only bigger and easier
to handle. It will take colourful wipe-
clean overlays supplied with each game-
Upgrading your system doesn't mean
lust sticking on a new controller, there
are other ways of making your games
machine that much better.
For a start you can upgrade the mem*
ory of an Atari system. In fact, the
Starpath Supercharger does this and is
available now (see separate article).
Coming soon from CBS is a device called
RAM PLUS- Apparently this is a Micro
chip that plugs into the 2600 allowing it to
play more complex games. There are no
definite launch dates planned for over
here.
If you not only want a bigger memory
for your system but wish to be able to
program in your own games too then a
number of computer upgrades will be
available soon. Atari, Mattel. CBS/
Coleco and Vectrex are all planning
home computer add-ons for their games
system, to be here by Chnstmas.
If you ve decided that you'd like all the
accessories mentioned so far then you re
going to need something to keep them in,
A video storage box could be the answer.
There are several of these available.
I vei wished you could plug in your
favourite games once and never have to
• do so again? Soon you will be able to with
a device called a companion Tins is a
box into which you slot up to eight
cartridges. Once plugged in you just
seioet the cartridge you want. Canpro
Electronics in the Stales make com-
pantors called Videoplexes with models
[i r VCS and Intellivision.
As you can see. simply buying car-
tridges is only the start of what you can do
with even the cheaper video systems
available.
^^^^>i^^
Both products available from REEDFOX LTD through Apollo Mail Order, PO Box 16, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.
Tel: 0255422034
Please add £1 .00 for post & packing
H
INTRODUCING TV GAMING
YOUR GUIDE TO
THE REVIEW LISTINGS
new, i ami new/
Within each system- we've starred
the best of each type of game.
They're the ones we think a keen
gamer would wish to look at first
— and if we've missed your
favourite, why not write in and tell
us? We've taken into account the
limitations of each system, so that
even if a game is made in versions
to fit several systems, it isn't
necessarily starred in all of them.
This shows that the cartridge has
been released during the last few
months or is due for release during
the life of this issue of TV Gamer.
PREVIEW
Sometimes we don't get a chance to
review a game properly before the
magazine closes. In this case we
will write the best description we
can and follow it up with a 'new
release' review in our next issue.
BRAND NAME Well known bi
are widely available; new brands
may lake some finding. Out "Where
to Buy' Guide may help you.
REFERENCE NUMBER if you should
need U,
PRICE We show the makers
recommended price where we can
get it, and our best guess where we
can't. You may well hnd better prices
if you hunt for fhem.
, OPTIONAL EXTRAS Some
cartridges require accessories which
may be rather pricey. A fuller
explanation will feature in the
review text for the game.
SPACE SP \RT ANS
3 1 46 Mattel Electroni :s
■ 1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT T£M UP
needs Intellivi iceimoc ule £45.95
_
NUMBER OF PLAYERS
1 One player against the
game.
1 + 1 Two, three or lour
1 +2 players* each taking
1+3 turns.
2 Twoplayera, playing ihe
game together.
Wl Twoplayers, playing
each other, with the game
simply keeping score and
acting as releree.
Only Atari has enough sockets (or
three or four players at the same
time, and not many of these games
have been made.
, GAME CATEGORY There are a
number ot categories based on the
type ol action the game alters,
. NUMBER OF VARIATIONS Many
cartridges contain several diflerent
games, and include variations on
the main theme. Generally speaking,
this applied more to earlier games.
Since all the early games had a
relatively small size memory, ii one
features a lot of variations, then
some of these are likely to be trivial
Recent games, as well as having
larger memones, often have a
random element so that although
you have only one game the details
change each time you play.
Looking after your
game
O An adult should always do the
plugging in and setting up for
younger children. The equipment
works on mains electricity and
should be treated as carefully as
any other mains equipment.
O Their biggest hate is dampness -
keep consoles and cartridges warm
and dry and they will last for years.
O Remember that you should
always switch your console off
before inserting or removing a
cartridge. It is possible to ruin the
cartridge ii you don't.
O Don't let your Atari, Intellivision
or Coleco run without a game
cartridge in it. This might damage
the console.
Will it fit?
ATARI 2600 will accept any
cartridge listed as Atari or Atari
compatible, and most of the new
controllers.
INTELLIVISION will accept
Intellivision and a very few
compatible cartridges. It won't take
other controllers, since its own are
not removable.
CBS/COLECOVTSION will accept
any CBS Electronics cartridges
and*with the Atari adaptor will
accept all those for that system,
too. The controllers are removable,
but it's too soon to recommend any
alternatives.
VECTREX will accept only Vectrex
cartridges from MB Games. It works
on a totally different system to the
others, and it's unlikely that there
will be either a converter for other
games or that anyone else will
make games for this system.
Will it work?
If you buy your games console and
cartridge from reputable shops or
mail order companies in this
country, you should have no
problem. However, there are a
number of differences between the
TV systems in different countries -
particularly between Britain and
the United States. Games or
cartridges bought in US will not
usually work here. At best, you
will get a picture with poor colour,
whilst you may get a continual
rolling of the picture. If the game
you are thinking of buying isn't in
our listings and you have never
heard of the manufacturer, make
sure that the cartridge is PAL (the
system we use in Britain). □
8
IFYOUCANFINDA
MORE ADVANCED VIDEO GAMES SYSTEM
IT WONT BE ON THIS PLANET.
w t
■
|H
(So materialise at your local dealer for a try-out)
First there
was the tennis
exciting
the games are
to play; and the bigger the K
size of the microchip rf le better
the graphic definition, roloi ir
and sound.
video game, then just as you'd got
that well and truly under control,
along came all those
Invaders from
Space Wfcll now
there's CBS
ColecoVision.
It's as different
from the rest as Star
to Dr Who. Technologically,
CBS ColecoVision is the most
advanced, sophisticated video
games computer system avaWable.
mm
m\
It's the K size of the microchips
in the cartridges that
determine how
challenging and
You ger
faster
speed of
play The
greatest
number of
different
\
to
screens or
changing pic-
tures to tax your
abilities. Plus more
variety of moving m
targets on screen.
CBS ColecoVision
is a 32K ROM/16K RA
i_l
o
Q
video games computer system
It's only on this system that the
most powerful cartridges can
be played.
It means that on CBS I
ColecoVision you can play 16K I
cartridges like Donkey Kong and
Turbo. And even such advanced
24K cartridges as Zaxxon. ]
Whereas nearly all other j
\z\r\eo game computer systems,
si ich as Atari 11 2600 VCS™ and
Mattel Intellivisionr are designed
in such a way that the maximum
cartridge power that can be
played is 4K. j
Just compare these figures: j
Atari" 2600 VCS™
Max. cartridge power 4K
Mattel Intellivision™
Max. cartridge power 4K
CBS ColecoVision
Min. cartridge power I6K
But if you find all this
'jargon a lot to handle,
play around with our
System at your local dealer, and
yni j'll get the full picture.
CBS COLECOVISION
A NEW GENERATION
^
■I
YOU CANT BEAT THE SYSTEM
a
* VC5* v 'dfmdrtsof At,*- -yKong*6ir>etrMefnaf^of N^enclonr An* CI98
■
md
!d
s,
jm
us
A bigger challenge.
As you might expect, our range
of games isjust as advanced as
our console.
They're not only chosen
from the most successful arcade
games in the States, they play
just like them as well. No-one
else can claim that.
Every single game has up
to 4 skill levels for 1 to 2 players
plus multiple screens.
So even know-all game
wizards are in for some hairy ex
periences. There are Donkey Koi lg.
Zaxxon, Smurf, Cosmic Avenger,
£«p^n.sion Module No 2 wrtti Turrjo" cartiti
Carnival, Venture, Gorf, Wizard of
Wor, Mousetrap and Ladybug
All demonly difficult Defif litcly
not for those with dodgy diyib or
weedy reactions
More control at hand.
The CBS ColecoVision hand con
trols are also specially designed to
con iplen lei it the games. They
yive you full control over your
game play with 8 direction joy
stick, push burton keyboard and
two ii idependent fire/action
buttons
iup ewioo ^^^^fiH
^^^^u*
w ^
1
1 a*^^^^H
■NKjo;
k
|\r« *■
f^-
:J
And more. The unique
CBS CulecoVision Expansion
Module Ii iterface allows you
tu expand the use of your con-
sule di id keep it right up to date
with the latest developments.
Expansion Module "■
No I rtlluwsyou to play
the entire library of Atari*
VCS^cartridges
Expansion Module No. 2 is
a fully functional driving unit
which includes steering wheel,
Smurf"
Gatgameh Gasile. Peyo
dashboard and
accelerator pedal. | BT
It comes with Pi^T^
the Turbo™ video **
game cartridge for exciting high
speed racing.
And Expansion Module
No. 3 (soon to be launched) will
turn your CBS ColecoVision con-
sole into an advanced home
computer, so you can tackle any-
thing from maths homework
upwards.
Whichever way you look
at it, CBS ColecoVision is simply
the most advanced video
1 games computer system you
can lay your hands on.
On this planet, certainly
So go and try one out at
your nearest video games
dealer.
V IN VIDEO GAME COMPUTER SYSTEMS.
EXPANSION MODULE INTERFACE
CIIS
EliCTROMCS
CBS COLECO SYSTEM REVIEW
VISION
A new system with excellent pictures
and a superb range of
CBS COLECO SYSTEM REVIEW
CBS/Colecovision
Available: now Price: £149
The Coleco video game from CBS
Electronics is the first of the third
generation of games. It has more up-
to-date electronics than the Atan or
Intellivision consoles and has excel-
lent picture and sound quality. It has
a bigger memory than both of the
earlier systems put together, and
although it hasn't had as long to
acquire a wide selection of games
cartridges, those games launched so
far for the Colecovision system are
very good and include many well-
known arcade names such as Sega,
Universal and Bally/Midway. And
with the memory and facilities avail-
able, these conversions are usually
excellent
The basic console is a slim, flat box
with space for the two controllers, a
cartridge slot and a couple of switches
(on/off and reset) on top, and a
second slot at the front. The con-
trollers are multi-purpose, including
a joystick and a twelve-button key-
pad, and can be unplugged for
replacement or for fitting alternative
components.
As it comes, it's probably the best
video game console in the world. But
it's that special slot at the front that
really adds the magic. Labelled
'Expansion Module Interface', it's
referred to by CBS/Coleco as their
window on the future', and it's
where additional modules can be
attached to expand the capabilities
of the system even further. Details of
the first of these additional modules
are given below.
Update Originally scheduled for an
April launch, first limited deliveries
were made to shops in June. Supplies
are still scarce although this is
expected to improve during the
summer.
Expansion Module One
Atari Adaptor
Available: Autumn 1983
Price prediction: around £60
This looks like a small box with a slot
for the cartridges and live of the
Atari's six switches - color/b & w, left
and right difficulty, game select and
reset. (On/off is controlled by the
CBS/Coleco's own switch. ) There are
also sockets at the front for two con-
trollers. This module will accept any
cartridge made for the Atari VCS. It
won't produce any better graphics or
sound than you would get on an
Atari, since these are controlled by
the cartridge itself.
The module will also accept the
Supercharger (see page 56), but we
haven't yet begun to explore
potential of the combination!
The controller sockets will definitely
take Coleco's own type, and it's
claimed that anything that fits an
Atari will also work, but TV Gamer
can't as yet Verify this.
Update Promised originally for
April this year, but delayed along
with the whole CBS/Colecovision
launch to the end of June and now
delayed still further, to October. TV
Gamer hasn't had one of these for
test yet, though samples have been
exhibited in this country. Some of the
.delay has been due to legal prob-
lems between CBS/Coleco and Atari
in America.
Expansion Module Two
Turbo Drive Module
Available: now Price: £49.95
This combines a driving game and a
specially designed controller in one
package.
The module itself is like a steering
wheel, with a space into which one
of the Qoleco's hand controllers fits,
with its joystick acting as a gearlever.
A foot control plugs in at the front to
13
CBS COLECO SYSTEM REVIEW
provide acceleration. The Turbo
game cartridge fits into the usual slot
in the console. See the software sec-
tion for a review of the game.
pdate Kxpected delivery time is
e same as for the main console. TV
er has tested one and it w
well, IssturdOy mad© and withstands
constant playing. We would rec-
ommend it more strongly if it was
.at cheaper 01 -re were
more games you I play with the
■ce you'd bought il
itself is nearly £30,
roller around
ve as controllers
ih probably good for
ch a comprehensive one as '
Although the may well cor
down, nothing has yet been an-
nounced about other games for I
controU©]
Expansion Module Three
Adam Computer
Available: not yet known
Price: not fixed
By transforming the basic console
into a computer, this module will be
the envy of friends with today's most
popular systems. It has been an-
nounced in two versions - as an
accessory module for the CBS/
Colecovision console, or as a stand
alone' system. As an accessory, it
comes complete in three components
- a keyboard housing the main com-
puter, a 'memory module', and even
a printer!
The main keyboard has 75 keys,
including 6 programmable and 5
cursor control keys. It has 64k internal
memory, and can use an additional
16k from the video game console,
giving it a whopping 80k overall, far
more than the usual home computer.
As it can accept software produced
for the Apple II it has immediate
access to a wide range of computer-
type games, personal and business
programs. The 'Memory Module'
uses a new type of 'stringy floppy',
which is a kind of continuous loop of
tape inside a cassette looking rather
like an ordinary audio cassette. It
comes complete with built-in word-
processing programs, and can store
250 pages of text, which raises the
system into the realms of a small
business system.
The printer is in keeping with the
standard set by the rest of the com-
ponents - not the usual dot-matrix,
but a letter quality 'daisy wheel'. (A
'daisy wheel' printer works in the
same way as a normal typewnter,
except that the letters and numbers to
be 'typed' are ranged round the edge
of a flat disc, looking rather like the
petals of a flower. The wheel rums
until the required character is in
position, then a small hammer taps it
against the paper.)
This type of printer is well-known
for its clear printing, but it can't re-
produce pictures from the screen.
With the 'stand alone' system you
get a modified 'memory module' that
accepts CBS/Colecovision games
cartridges, and also a pair of
controllers.
Update This module was exhibited
ne USA only this
su i TV Gamer has not seen one
lone to test. At the
moment, all we have are pictures,
which, we have printed here for you.
he module v
be ire Christmas
33, ar. u'U probably have to
pay around fMQO lor the additional
stand-ai 3ut
juesswc
14
CBS COLECO SOFTWARE REVIEW
CARNIVAL
COL74302 CBS Electronics £29,95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SHOOT "EM UP
This game sets oul to recreate the charm
and excitement of an old time shooting
gallery. You have to shoot down the toy
ducks, bears and rabbits as well as the
clay pipes at the top of (he screen. You
have limited ammunition which the
ducks will try to eat if they get too low on
the screen. The graphics and sound are
iar superior to those in either the VCS or
the lntellivlsion versions* There is also a
bear shoot which doesn't appear in the
other versions. □
COSMIC AVENGER
COL74310 CBS Electronics £29,95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
Rather like the arcade game Scramble,
Cosmic Avenger is a scrolling multi-
phase shoot em up in which you fly
over the landscape using lasers and
bombs to destroy everything in sight.
The graphics and sound effects are
very good indeed and the game should
appeal to all Scramble lans.Q
Ccsnuc Avenger
DONK EY KONG
CBS Electronics Free with console
CLIMBING
This is the game that comes free with the
Colecovision when you buy it*
Naturally, they have chosen a cartridge
that shows oli the system to good
advantage, and this game certainly
does that. The game is based on the
arcade game Nintendo, which has
almost a cult following in Amenca. The
Kong in the title is King Kong, by the
way* and the idea of the game is to
guide a Utile character called Mario to
the top of a skyscraper to rescue his
girlfriend from Kong's clutches. To do
this he has to climb scaffolding around
the building. However, all the time little
Mono is climbing up, Kong is busy
throwing barrels down. Mono has to
lump over them . M or you start again
with another little Mario!
The resemblance to the com-op
version is quite staggering, and
although CBS Electronics make versions
ot this game for both Atari and
Carnival
lntellivlsion, neither of them are
comparable in quality. A firm lavounte
with young and old gamers alike - and
set to stay that way, loolD
GORF
PREVIEW
COL74344 CBS Electronics £29,95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SCI Fl SHOOT 'EM UP
A popular coin-op that has survived the
:ranslation to Coleco very well, as most
arcade games do. The idea in Gorf is to
shoot your way through several diHerent
phases of interstellar conflict. For a more
detailed account ot game play see
Intell (vision and VCS versions,d
LADY BUG
COL74328 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
MAZE
A run of the mill Pac-Man-type game
but with a difference. Some of the walls
are hinged and will move if pushed by
your Lady Bug, so you can if you tiki
change the maze - or betler still, block
ofl your pursuers. Worth buying if you're
desperate for Pac-Man on Coleco. □
i^-i-^-n i-^i
'SPGCIAI
exrRi
•t| ■ |. w .|.|.f?-.r-iBi
I * i m * • • ; • I u I • j ■
L l»_i]-lJ-!*ml-
_ ■
Lady Bug
COL74294 CBS Electronics
1,1 + 1 8 variations
MAZE
£29.95
A Pac-Man-type game, alihough ol a
much higher ca.i which
accompanied by an up lempo n*
(hats really very goc<l In Pdc-Mans
place is a liltle mouse thai zooms around
the maze ealr g -_*ese crumbs, while
being chased by some cals and a bird. If
the mouse eats a bone, he turns into a
dog and can chase the cats. This game
.runs rings round Pac-Man. D
Mousetrap
SMURF - RESCUE A
IN GARGAMELS tT
CASTLE
COL74260 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
CHILDREN'S ADVENTURE
This game is based on the highly
popular TV characters. You have control
ol a little Smurf who must make the epic
journey to Gargamels Castle to rescue
an impnsoned Smurfette. Along the way
you must jump gates and hills and duck
to avoid bats. Both the graphics and
sound on this game are marvellous.
Children will love it.D
IS
CBS COLECO SOFTWARE REVIEW
TURBO
COL74518 CBS Electronics £49.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
DRIVING
ised on an arcade game - as are
■st titles these days il with a
Utterance, Instead of having shoot
everything in sight, youi driving skilfe
rre put to the test in a break-neck speed
fiase The game comes complete with
a driving controller, consisting of a
n ing wheel, foot accelerator and
hand controller which acts as a
[eai r ! treat thing about this
i ime *heconstant change ot settings.
rrtini 1 1 II in i aty Ihe scene
: r presses through countryside, desert,
vi : | toads, tunnels, even making a
: net trip to the sea-side Weil worth the
initial outlay since the controller is
luded and visually it is the most
exciting driving gan> u und.D
74286 CBS Electronics £29,95
l,lvl 8 variations
ADVENTURE SHOOT 'EM UP
This is the tirst Adventure-type game to
come (rorri CBS Electronics for the
Colecovision. It involves guiding a little
character called Winky through a senes
of rooms - killing various creatures and
picking up different treasures as you go*
The graphics are good but the really
sinking thing about this game Is the
sound effects, in particular the music. A
different tune is played for each room
you enter which greatly adds to the
games entertainment value* □
■ ■
CAR
RD 1 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii fl
Kila: »3a
d£J£J£
WIZARD OF WOR
COL74351 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SCI FI SHOOT -EM UP pHEVIEW
As with most ol the games that CBS
Electronics produce the game play us
much the same as in both VCS and
Intellivision versions but the graphics
and sound are superior. The Coleco
version is very laithlul indeed to the
arcade game. D
ZAXXON
it
COL74278 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SCI FI SHOOT -EM UP
This game is based on the popular com
op by Sega. With control of a small
Starfighter armed with a front laser, you
must fly across a series of Space
Platforms destroying all the installation:-
as you go. After leaving each platform
you-have a brief flight in space and a
space dog-hght with enemy fighters.
This is the only game on the market thar
scrolls diagonally and Coleco really
have made a convincing job ol it. T\ u
graphics and sound are superb. All in
all, this is about the best video game
translation from arcade lo home so fai
produced. D
16
COLECO
i i ■"■'
comPETmon
This could be your chance to win yourself a Coleco - complete
with one of the first Atari adaptors in the country!
This powerful combination will give you the ability to play all
of the Coleco's own cartridges, AND anything that will fit the •
Atari VCS - well over a hundred games! And there are prizes for
four runners up, too. Consumer Electronics of Manchester are
going to launch a range of Suncom controllers for the Atari
during the autumn, and we've persuaded them to let us have
one of each for prizes. But prizes like these shouldn't fall into the
hands of just anybody, should they? They can only be properly
appreciated by a real gamer, right? So that's who we are going
to find. Not an easy competition like we had in our first issue,
but a toughie designed to separate the players from the talkers.
Below are ten clues to items mentioned in this edition of TV
Gamer. The item may be in an editorial section or in an adver-
tisement, and the answer we want in each case is the number of
the page to which the clue refers. Clues will only refer to the
prize itself or to games that can be played on it. The entry form
is on page 63. Off you go, and may the best gamer win!
The clues
1 One of the games on this
cartridge is the American for 21.
2 Score a goal and it's fireworks
for you!
3 Find out why the chicken
crossed the road.
4 The only game that scrolls from
comer to comer.
5 Two is already here, one comes
next, to be followed by three.
Where's three?
6 There's two versions of this
game now, one apparently more
real than the other. You want the
one with the reference to James
Bond.
7 YouTl have to go a long, long
way to find a better system,
according to this advertiser.
8 She's just amazing, like her
boyfriend before her.
9 These Knights are fighting in a
cleared space a long time ago in a
Galaxy far, far away.
10 You could play this without the
extra bit plugged in, but keep your
eyes on the Ducks.
The tie breaker: In the event of more
than one set of correct answers
arriving at the TV Gamer Office,
prizes will be awarded to the
entrants who have given the most
amusing answers to the following
teasei'. Here is a scene from Donkey
Kong. All you have to do is tell us
what Mario might be saying. Keep
his comment short and witty.
Allowance will be made for age,
and the Editor's decision will be
final.
Prizes to be won,
1st
A CBS/Colecovision console and
module one; the Atari adaptor.
Retail value - over £200
A Suncom Joy-Sensor Controller.
Retail value -£29.95
A Suncom TAC 2 Controller.
Retail value-£18.95
4th Prix*
A Suncom Starfighter Controller.
Retail value- £13.95
5th Prix*
A Suncom Silk Stik Controller.
Retail value -£9.95
All these controllers hi the VCS, and
some small computers. For a full
description, see the Controllers and
Accessories feature on page 5.
A complete run down to the
Colecovision console and the Atari
adaptor Is in the Coleco hardware
review on page 12.
The Rules
1 The top prize of a Coleco plus an
Atari adaptor will be awarded to the
entrant who finds the correct answers
to the ten clues. In the event of a tie,
the prize will go to the entrant giving,
in the Editor's opinion, the most
amusing answer to the tie breaker.
2 The top prize is UK TV standard and.
though entries will be accepted trom
any country, servicing cannot be
guaranteed outside the British Isles.
3 Entries must be received by
November 30th 1983. Winners will be
advised by post and the results will be
announced in the spring issue of TV
Gamer.
4 Entries will only be accepted on
forms cut from TV Gamer. Photocopies
are not acceptable.
ATARI SYSTEM REVIEW
The most popular video game in the world
Atari 2600 (VCS)
Available; now
Price: £89
The first of the video games lo offer
sound, colour and interchangeable
games cartridges, the Atari VCS is
an electronic Wonder!
Few other electronic products first
marketed in 1978 are still selling to-
day. What then is the secret of the
VCS's success?
In the early years it was one of the
best video systems on the market, but
its popularity came mainly as a result
of the good selection of games avail-
able. Then, three years ago, some of
the Atari designers broke away to
form separate companies making
18
ATARI SYSTEM REVIEW
cartridges to fit the Atari console -
a development both unprecedented
and, at first, strongly resisted by
Atari. After a while, however, an
agreement was reached and then
other designers joined in, too. Far
from harming the Atari image, the
2600 system is now even more firmly
established as the market leader.
Partly this is because ol the greater
range of cartridges available - partly
too because the third party software
producers - as these other companies
are known - have found tricks and
dodges to exploit the 2600 in ways the
original designers could not have
expected.
It's not all wine and roses though.
Certainly, in the early days, the VCS
was able to handle more memory
than most of its competitors but it has
since fallen behind products intro-
duced more recently. However,
cartridge designers have found
ways round the problem. By using
the latest techniques they have
managed to double and sometimes
even treble the capacity of the VCS.
And several hardware companies
are planning accessories designed
to enhance the basic console still
further.
Naturally Atan have never been
complacent about the competition.
Indeed, they demonstrated several
new games consoles before deciding
on a successor to the VCS, called the
5200. Unfortunately the product
hasn't done well in the US and, in
early July, it was decided not to bring
it to this country. But there will be a
new range of small computers and
we've heard hints of an adaptor that
will enable them to play VCS car-
tndges. Other developments in-
clude the typewriter keyboard and
the excellent Supercharger, which is
given an in-depth coverage on page
60. In fact, there are so many new
controllers from Atari and other
companies that we have decided to
put them together in a Consumer
Guide on page 7.
Another of the rumours going
around the video game grapevine
concerns a 'memory expander' ac-
cessory that would increase the
VCS's memory up to a fantastic 1 28K.
It's enough to make your mind
boggle when you realise it started life
with' only a humble 4K. But that is
some way in the future - probably
another year, at least. Besides, no
one has written a game that uses that
size memory - yet. Atari also have
plans for the ultimate m controllers -
one of their games available in the
US is voice-controlled. But again, it
could be a while before it is seen
here.
One development you may see
around though is the Atan VCS con-
sole with only four switches instead
of the usual six. In other respects
these are identical to the usual
VCS's, the only change is that the
difficulty switches have been moved
to the back.
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
• All games use joysticks except
where noted. Paddles give you
horizontal control only, whereas
joysticks allow movement all over
the screen. Both joysticks and
paddles come with the Atari
console.
gorilla around a maze painting the
squares around you as you go, whilst
avoiding pygmy guards. The guards
turn into chickens if you paint into all
lour corners. If you survive the first
wave, you become a paint roller and
the guards become pigs. Well, we did
say it was weird. □
ACTION FORCE ^0 • A STEROIDS
931511 Parker £27.95
1,1 + 1,2,3 12 variations
COMBAT SHOOT -£M UP
This game was to have been titled
Action Man but was retitled due to the
iact that the smaller Action Force figures
are currently more popular than Action
Man, The general idea is to protect the
soldiers from the giant cobra's lasers
and bombs while, at the same time,
trying to blast the snake with your anti-
giant cobra gun. Paddles control both
the gun and Ihe shields with which you
protect the troops. Two people can
operate two separate shields and guns
while a third can, in some variations,
take control of the cobra. This is
certainly an unusual game with some
nice graphic touches, especially the
cobra itself. It's certainly well worth a
look. D
ADVENTURE
j£
CX2613 Atari £18.95
1 3 variations
VCS ADVENTURE
Based loosely on Dungeons & Dragons
(the board game, not the Intellivision
game) the idea is to retrieve the Magical
Chalice from the clutches of the three
•
evil dragons, Grindle, Yordle and
Rhindle. To do this you must work your
way through mazes, catacombs and the
Black and White Kingdoms, to pick up
the objects that will help you retneve the
Chalice and put it in its rightful place in
the Gold Kingdom.
This game is arguably one of the best
role-playing games to come from Atan.O
AIR SEA BATTLE
CX2602 Atari £19.95
1,2, lvl 27 variations
COMBAT
Opens with a 'shooting gallery'
sequence, where you fire at planes and
ducks. This cartridge also includes
straightforward plane vs sub variations
for two players. All in all a value for
money game.Q
AMIDAR
931504 Parker Brothers
l r l + l 6 variations
MAZE
£29.95
CX2649 Atari £24.99
1,1 + 1 66 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
One of Atari's all lime best sellers and
one of the first to use an 8k ROM instead
of the conventional 2k or 4k.
The game play is very similar to the
enormously successful coin-op original.
However, the graphics and sound,
although quite good, are not up to coin-
op standards.
This is because the arcade game uses
a different type of screen and a different
graphics process called Vectorscan
(although Atan use the name
Quadrascan for some reason). It's you
vs an Asteroid held and a bunch of
satellites and UFOs (nicknamed Wally
and Beaver by the Atan Programmers).
In short a very nice game but devoted
fans of the coin-op may be better off with
a Vectrex.D
ASSAULT
*f&
This is definitely a game with a very
weird theme. The idea is to move your
CA281 BOMB £21,95
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
BOMB are to be congratulated for this
game which really is very exciting. It is
odd that a company capable of a game
like this can possibly be responsible for
something as tatty as Great Escape. The
game is a cross between Space Cavern
and Demon Attack. You have to destroy
swooping bird-like aliens that are
attacking your laser base. However the
Assault aliens are craftier than those in
Demon Attack because they can drop
dangerous fireballs on the ground. As a
counter-measure you are given a laser
base that, as well as firing upwards,
also fares sideways. The graphics are
quite well done, better than those in
Demon Attack. All in all a very good
game.D
ATLANTIS
1A3203 Imagic £27.95
1,2 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
You have now been appointed Head of
Atlantean Defence and your mission,
should you choose to accept it, is to keep
this fabled lost city from being destroyed
by the treacherous Gorgons. Your
armaments consist of three high
powered laser cannons all aimed at the
top centre ol the screen. The Gorgon
craft make several overhead passes
before they're low enough to use their
pile-dnver laser to destroy a part of the
great underwater city. TTils is one of the
few games around that has a direct
sequel continuing the story, so you can
find out what happens to the small band
of survivors who escape in the saucer at
the end of the game {see Cosmic Ark). D
BACKGAMMON
CX2617 Atari £18.95
l.lvl 8 levels
CLASSIC
A reasonable version of the popular
board game with a fairly challenging
one player version. D
BARNSTORMING
AX013 Activision £24.95
1 4 variations
SKILL
The title doesn't mean much on this
side of the Atlantic, but in fact the term
barnstorming refers to the early
American pilots who flew their bi-planes
in the 1920s. They used to fly around the
country and land at a farm, offering the
family free rides in return for a night's
lodging in their barn - hence the term
barnstorming. The game itself requires
the gamer to fly over weather vanes
and through barns, avoiding collisions
with them and with the flocks of birds
that fly overhead. You must fly through
a specified number of bams (that vanes
according to the game variation). Some
very nice graphics are used, but the
game could perhaps become bonng
altera while.D
BASIC MATHS
CX2661 Atari £14.95
8 variations
EDUCATIONAL
In this game a problem is displayed
on the screen tor you to solve. After
answering ten problems, you are given
your score. An early game now
showing its age. Replaced by Math
Gran Pnx.D
BASIC
PROGRAMMING
CX2620 Atari £18.95
1 single game
needs keyboards £13.95
EDUCATIONAL
This cartridge is designed to teach you
the rudiments ol computer
programming in BASIC (Beginners All-
purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). But
put together the price of the cartndge
and the controllers and you could
almost buy a computer designed
specially for the job.O
20
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
BASKETBALL
BREAKOUT
CX2624 Atari £14.99
1,1 vl 2 variations
SPORT
One of the first games lo introduce a
playing court with a 3-D perspective
view. There are only two competitors to
a court - you can play against an
opponent or the computer. □
BERZERK
#
CX2650 Atari £29.99
1 12 variations
MAZE SHOOT 'EM UP
Based on the popular arcade game by
Stern Electronics. The idea is to work
your way through as many of the simple
mazes as you can before the robots that
inhabit them shoot you down or drive
you into a maze wall, either of which
will prove lethal. You are armed with a
laser and to score points you must shoot
down the robot guards that stand in
your path. That sounds easy, but you
are only given limited time before Evil
Otto (a sort of rogue Pac-Man) comes
bouncing in to squash you flat. Don't let
his smiling lace fool you - he's quite a
formidable opponent as he can bounce
over walls and is impervious to your
Laser fire. All in all a very good game
and quite a successful coinop/VCS
translation, □
BOWLING
CX2628 Atari £18.95
1,1 + 1 6 variations
SPORT
Among the best of the early sport
simulations to come from Atan. Bowling
requires concentration and skill to get a
clear round of full stokes. □
BOXING
AG022 Activision £13.95
1,1 vl 2 variations
SPORT
This game simply involves thumping
your computensed adversary 99 times
before he does the same to you. The
screen gives you a birds-eye view of the
ring and the boxers are animated quite
successfully. D
BR AIN GAMES
CX2664 Atari £24.95
1,1 + 1 19 variations
needs keyboards £13.95
CLASSIC
This cartridge bnngs together a
selection of 'Simon' type copy-cat games
designed to test your powers of memory.
For the price of the game and
controllers, you'd be advised to buy a
purpose made toy.D
CX2622 Atari £18.95
1,1 + 1 12 variations paddles
SKILL
The second ever video arcade game
and a direct descendant Irom Pong, the
Bat n' Ball tennis game that became so
popular in the mid 70s. The aim of
Breakout is to knock a hole in the bnck
wall at the top of the screen. This has
since been withdrawn and replaced
with an improved version - Super
Breakout but some may still be on
sale.D
BRIDGE
sequence of the Intelhvision and
Colecovision versions, bul it does seem
to have better graphics than the
Intellivision. A faithful representation of
the Arcade hit by Sega/Gremlin.D
CASINO
CX2652 Atari £18.95
l,lv3, lvl 4 variations paddles
CLASSIC
Several card games are featured in this
cartridge, including both poker and
blackjack {Amencan for pontoon or 21).
A reasonable attempt at a game
transfer but it would be far cheaper to
buy a pack of cards and invite a friend
round. □
AX013 Activision
1 7 variations
CLASSIC
£24.95
CENTIPEDE
A card game not normally transferred
to the screen - quite surprisingly, as it's
probably a more popular game thran
Othello. Maybe it's just that not many
programmers know how lo play
bndge.D
CARNIVAL :
CX2676 Atari £29.99
1 2 games 5 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
2£
COL75309 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 2 variations
SHOOT 'EM UP
A nice change from the space shoot em
ups. Set in a fairground shooting
gallery, you are taking pot-shot at duck
and rabbit targets whilst keeping an eye
on the amount of ammo you have left. If
you let the ducks gel too low they will
come to life and swoop down to eat up
some of your gun pellets. The VCS
version does not have th^ bear
Not a game for people with a dislike of
creepy crawiies. To confound any sexist
ideas on this subject, you might like to
know that the original com-op (on which
the game is based) was designed by
Dona Bailey,- one of Atari's female
programmers. The scene is a black
screen dominated by little colourful
mushrooms. You are at the bottom in
the shape of a Bug-Blaster which has
the freedom of the lower half of the
screen. Now comes the Centipede itself
.which scampers down the screen. You
must blast all its sections along with the
mushrooms, spiders, fleas, snails etc.
A good old fashioned shoot 'em up
with a novel twist to it. Very pleasing
graphics and sound, which are both
very similar to the coin-op.D
Cenbpedo
21
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEW
CHINA SYNDROME CODEBREAKER
Spectravision £19.95
1 4 variations
SKILL
Loosely based on the film m which a
nuclear reactor goes out of control. It's
now up to you lo control the reactor
through its nine levels down to the core.
As m Reactor you are given a robot
which you must use to destroy all the
dangerous radioactive particles that
escape. One ol the nice features of this
game is a little control panel that shows
the radiation level in each of three
sectors on the screen. H you get above a
certain level of radiation then
MELTDOWN begins - and you lose,Q
CHOPPER
COMMAND
#
AX015 Activision £24.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
COMBAT SHOOT 'EM UP
The idea of this game is to guide your
helicopter through the scrolling scenery
destroying enemy copiers and planes
which are out to bomb the convoy of
medical supply trucks that are trundftng
along below. You have total control
over your Chopper. The game overall is
so similar to Defender that fans of
Defender should find it very appealing.
The graphics and sound are of the usual
high standard that has become the
norm for Activision. D
CIRCUS ATARI
CX2630 Atari £19.99
1,1 + 1 8 variations paddles
SKILL
The aim of this game is to bounce a
clown from your teeter board high
enough to burst the stream of balloons
at the top of the screen. One of the best
games using padd!es.D
CX2643 Atari £18.95
1,1 vl 20 variations
needs keyboards £13.95
CLASSIC
A version of Mastermind, the board
game, but using numbers rather than
colours. Definitely not the most anginal
game that Alan has ever produced, but
many people should enjoy this brain
teaser, n
COMBAT
CX2601 Atari £14.95
lvl 27 variations
COMBAT
This is the cartridge that comes with the
console. It has 27 games each involving
shooting down tanks, bi-planes or jet
fighters. With the tank games you have
to hit your opponent as often as you can
within a certain length of time (2 minutes
16 seconds to be exact). There are
variations such as invisible tanks and
guided missiles which are played in a
number of different mazes. The jets and
bi-planes also have changes ol
formation involving two against two or
one against three planes. Initially the
controls take some getting used to. But
once these are mastered the game
becomes a bit monotonous, which is not
helped by the poor graphics.D
Sanyo Bradford
':> rriNi!
COMMUNIST
MUTANTS FROM .„.•
SPACE H&P'
AR4101 Starpath £15.95
requires Starpath Supercharger
£39.95
1,1 + 1,1+2,1+3 91evels
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
The farsi thing that stnkes everyone
about this game is the crazy name it
has. Designer Steve Landrum, who
dreamed up the idea, had originally
thought of calling it Galactic Egg, which
isn't nearly so bizarre. The game itself is
a little like Galaxian. You are at the
bottom of the screen and have to shoot
creatures that swoop down to get you.
But there is an added complication in
the shape of a moth who lays new eggs
at the top of the screen to replace the
ones you have already zapped. Only by
shooting her will you be able to finish off
the wave. One of the nice things about
this game, apart from the graphics and
sound, is the wide selection of
gameplay - up to four people can play
at a time. In addition, you are given a
number ol different play options within
the nine levels such as shields, time
warps, penetrating shots etc, so the
game variations are limitless. If fast Sci
Fi shoot em ups are your thing then this
game is a mustQ
CONCENTRATION
CX2642 Atari £18.95
1,1+1 8 variations
needs keyboards £13.95
CLASSIC
Formerly known as Hunt & Score, the
name of this game changed in 1981 so
you just might come across some old
stock somewhere. It's based on the old
memory game Pair, in which you match
up hidden objects. D
COOKIE MONSTER .
MUNCH «0\
CX26102 Atari £29.95
1,1 + 1 9 variations
CHILDREN
requires children's controller or
Star Raiders touch pad
For those who don't know, the Cookie
Monster is a character from the long-
running TV series Sesame Street. The
idea of the game is to guide the Cookie
Monster through a maze while picking
up cookies and dropping them into his
cookie jar one at a time. Once you've
collected all the biscuits, the screen
changes and you have to count with the
Cookie Monster as he eats them one by
one* Understandably veiy young
children seem to find this game the most
enjoyable, thouglvall who are familiar
with Sesame Street will probably find it
amusing. D
COSMIC ARK
2t
1A3204 Imagic £27.95
1,2 6 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This is the sequel to Atlantis (see
separate review). The small group of
survivors that escaped a watery grave
in Atlantis have built a larger saucer,
22
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
the Cosmic Ark, which is currently
stopping oil at various planets. Its
mission is to pick up two oi each kind of
alien life form before deadly laser turrets
zap it*
There are two phases to this game,
Firsi is the ln-flighl 4 mode in which you
have to blast meteors that are heading
for your ship, using the four laser
cannons you have. H you successfully
blast all the rocks then you can move on
to the second phase (the Orbit mode).
This is where the original saucer makes
an appearance. It is used to pick up the
aliens via a Tractor Beam which gives
off a sound rather like the transporter in
Star Trek. Once you've beamed up both
aliens you can return to the Ark and
then you will be whisked off to another
in flight' phase and so on, Rob Fulop
has left an opening for a third game in
the series as the little shuttle shoots off
again at the end of play.D
COSMIC CREEPS
TEA1003 Telesys £27.95
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
For a change here's a space game that
hasn't lost its sense of humour. In this
game you are an Orbinaut and your
firs! task is to get from the planet at the
bottom of the screen to the space station
at the top. En route you must avoid red
plasma and the Space Skeeters, which
when bumped into will send you
tumbling into space. If you do make ll to
the space station you gain control of it.
You can then move the station left and
right and fire the space station's
weapon, the Bopper.
Now comes your second task, the
rescue. A Cosmic Kid will start his
escape from the bottom left-hand comer
with a couple of Cosmic Creeps hot on
his heels. It's up to you to bop the
Creeps so the Kid can escape. While
you're doing this, the planet at the
bottom of the screen is getting lower and
lower. If it sinks below the screen before
you reach 5000 points it's the end of the
game. However, if you do manage it
then you go onto a tougher planet with
fasler Creeps. A nice use of graphics
and sound on this entertaining space
game.O
CROSS FORCE
SA203 Spectravision £19.95
1.1 + 1 4 variations
SCI Fl SHOOT 'EM UP
Cross Force is a shoot em up with a
difference. Instead of having one ship
on screen you have two - one top, one
bottom* Your laser hre comes from both
ships so that you have a laser wall* With
this weapon you must destroy all the
aliens that are being deposited by the
Mothership (which you can't destroy).
This game requires skill because, as the
Cross Force laser system is in
en
expenmental stages, the laser will
overheat it used too much* You are
given a laser temperature gauge so that
you are not left in the lurch. A good
and worthwhile addition to any Space
gamers library. □
DEFENDER
CX2609 Atari £29.99
1,1 + 1 20 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
3t
This game has been equally successful
as a coin-op tor Williams Electronics and
as a VCS game for Alan. Atari
programmer Bob Pularo had the
awesome task oi squeezing a 26k game
controlled by a five button, one lever
control panel into a 4k console and
a (oystick.
All your 'friends* are there to greet
you. Landers, Mutants, Bombers, Pods,
Swarmers and Baiters along with your
earthship Defender* Game play is quite
complex and will take even a hardened
space gamer quite a while to master
fully. The graphics and sound do come
reasonably close lo the real thing.
Bearing in mind the limitations of both
hardware and software Bob Pularo has
done an incredibly good job with
Defender D
DEMON ATTACK j^
1A3200 Imagic £29.95
1,1 + 1,2 lOvariations
SHOOT 'EM UP
This game was designed by Rob Fulop,
the man responsible lor Missile
Command and Night Driver before he
left Atan. The idea is lo shoot as many of
the flying demons as you possibly can
before you lose all your Laser Bases. A
nice, fast game with a genuine arcade
feel about it. This game won the 1982
Game of the Year Award in America lor
its superior game play and graphics,D
DEMONS TO
DIAMONDS
CX2615 Atari £19.99
2 6 variations paddles
SKILL
A shooting gallery type of game with a
twiif/ is the best way to describe this
one. The idea is to shoot the demons
that are the same colour as your gun. II
you shoot one, it turns into a diamond
which is worth more points. If you shoot
a demon of the opposing colour it will
*urn into a skull which starts shooting
at you.D
DODGE'EM
CX2637 Atari E18.95
1,1 + l.lvl 3 variations
DRIVING MAZE
This game could have been an
inspiration tor Pac-Man. You have lo
run around a maze in a car. eating dots
while being pursued by other cars.
However it's more likely that Dodge 'em
was inspired by another arcade game
called Space Chaser. □
DONKEY KONG
COL75259 CBS Electronics £29.95
1 1 variation
CLIMBING
A game that is fast overtaking PaoMan
in popularity in the USA at Ihe moment.
The idea is to guide little Mono up the
girders so that he may rescue his
girlfriend from the clutches of Kong.
However, Kong isn't going to go out of
his way to help you. In lact he seems to
be a bit against the idea as he is rolling
barrels down towards you - you have to
jump over them.
Obviously the game is by no means
as complex as the Coleco version
graphically but possibly supenor to the
Intellivision version. Q
23
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
DRAGONFIRE
1A3611 Imagic £27.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
ADVENTURE
This adventure game has two main
phases. First you have to run along the
drawbridge ducking and jumping
flaming arrows. Once past the
drawbndge, you enter a room
containing treasure as well as an evil
Dragon which can kill you with one putt.
Once you Ve collected all the treasure
a door appears, opening onto another
drawbndge which leads to a further
treasure room. A great cartndge,
featuring good graphics, sound and
play value. D
DRAGSTER
AG001 Activision £13.95
l.lvl 2 variations
DRIVING
This is one ol the better early games
!rom Activision. With four gears and a
tachometer, you have to beat your
opponent along a set distance.
Although not remarkable, the graphics
are serviceable and assist to make quite
a pleasing game. □
DRAGONSTOMPER
AR4400 Starpath £19-95
1 single game
ADVENTURE
requires Starpath Supercharg
£39.95
This is the only traditional Adventure
game to come from Starpath for the
Supercharger. One oi the most striking
things about It is the fact that, as well as
using graphics in the usual way, it also
has text which informs you ol what is
happening and tells you what you have
in your possession.
The first load of this 'Multi-Load Game'
puts you in a countryside which is
riddled with trees and swamps and pits
and castles. You have to travel round
this scrolling area fighting off several
different types of creature* Some will
give you useful objects and some won I
Once you Ve picked up everything you
need you can go for the bridge. There
you must hand over your ID or 600 gold
pieces (it's best to give up the ID if you
can find it).
Next comes the second load which
puts you in the oppressed village where
you must buy provisions at the store,
medicines from the hospital and spells
from the magic shop. Then, after
recruiting some help, you enter the
dragon's cave. This is chocablock with
all manner of booby traps and other
assorted nasties. Eventually you come up
against the dragon who has stolen the
magic amulet. The choice is either to
slay him or steal the amulet and
rehabilitate the dragon.
E/T.ThsExlra Terrestrial
On Dragonstomper the Supercharger
definitely comes into its own. Starpath
should concentrate more on this kind of
game and not on single screen skill
games which companies like Atan are
so much better at. Ail the Adventure
gamers who played this cartridge found
it challenging, fun, and humorous In
places. The combination of text and
graphics makes the game both realistic
and easy to understand. If you're an
Adventure gamer then this one is for
you.D
ESCAPE FROM
THE MINDMASTER
AR4200 Starpath £19.95
1 single game
ADVENTURE
requires Starpath Supercharger
£39.95
H0» !
You have been captured by the
Mindmaster who has dropped you into
a series of mazes. You are given two
views of these, the main one a 3D type
view depicting what you would see if
you were walking through the maze -
the graphics here are really good. The
second one is a birds-eye view which
resembles the display on ordinary maze
games. ^
You have to find your way through
each maze while picking up differem
shaped objects and putting them into
the correct holes. Also you must avoid
an alien that has been put into the maze
in order to catch you out-
Only once you've put all the shapes
into all the holes (there are five to a
maze) can you walk up the staircase to
the next level and the next maze which
is more complicated and has trickier
shapes to find, In all you have six mazes
to get through and each has a separate
skill test which, if you're good, will boost
your score and save the human race
from humiliation. At the end of the game
you are given a score and an
assessment of how well (or how badly)
you did.
The Mindmaster deems you to be
quaint!' and The Mindmaster deems
you to be promising!' are two of the
possible results* This game is a first class
piece of software for the VCS and one
very strongly recommended, □
E.T. THE EXTRA
TERRESTIAL
CX2674 Atari £29.99
1 3 variations
MOVIE TIE-IN ADVENTURE
A game based on that lovable little
character from the smash hit film E.T
Despite the fact that it was designed
with the help of director Steven
Speilberg, it isn't up to much. The game
is set in the green woodlands that
appear at the beginning of the film.
However, this particular wood should
be closed off to the public because it is
literally nddled with potholes, as many
as eight to a screen. Dropped into the
potholes are three pieces ol phone. ET.
must collect all three pieces, find the
space ship zone and phone home. He
then has about fifteen seconds to get to
the forest and find the landing site so
that his ship can pick him up. Whilst this
is going on an FBI agent and a Doctor
are after him f but he can get help from
good ol' Elliot, dressed in the blue leans
and stnpy jumper lhal he never wore in
the film. Adventure buffs will probably
cringe at this game as will older E.T,
fans, but younger gamers seem To
enjoy it □
FAST FOOD
TEA1002 Telesys £27.95
1 single game
SKILL
n§"
Telesys seem lo specialise in oul-ol-the
ordinary games, and this one is no
24
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
exception. Fast Food involves you
steering a big red mouth around the
screen gobbling up hamburgere, hot
dogs, milk shakes etc. ior points (which
correspond to their calorie value). But
there is a catch. At all costs you must
avoid eating red pickles as they cause
indigestion and, if you eat more than
five, you burp to death! A fast game
with good graphics.D
FIREBALL
#*!
AR4300 Staipath £15.95
requires Starpath Supercharger
£39.95
1.1 + 1 5 games
SKILL
Basically Fireball is a collection oi
Breakout-type games featuring better
graphics and more complicated play.
And, the Supercharger's extra memory
makes it the best game of this kind.
The traditional bat has been replaced
by a little man who has the ability to
both catch and throw the fireballs that
he uses to knock holes in the walls.
There are five different games on this
cassette; Firetrap, Marching Blocks.
Knock A Block. Migrating Blocks and
Cascade* All are very similar to other
Breakout games but designed more
stylishly and with a bit more humour.
This is certainly not one of the best
games TV Gamer has tried for the
Supercharger and it is not worth paying
the initial outlay ior the charger on its
own. Nevertheless, a challenging and
entertaining addition to anyone's
game cassette library. D
FIREFIGHTER
1A3400 Imagic £22.95
1 9 variations
SKILL
Okay, Fire Chief, now's your chance to
show everyone what a good firefighter
you are. The idea is to douse the flames
with your hose and to rescue the girl
trapped in the tower block (which vanes
in height according to variation). You
have limited water supplies (lire
hydrants have not yet been invented)
and a fire engine with an extendable
ladder.
A pleasant game that is moderately
challenging but the novelty may soon
wear off and boredom could set in.D
FISHING DERBY
AG004 Activision
1,2 2 variations
SKILL
£13.95
This is one of the first games Activision
ever brought out in this country, and
unfortunately it shows. The idea is to
cast your line and catch as many fish as
you can. The deeper you go the more
points you get and the first player to get
99 points is the winner. Neither the
graphics nor the sound are up to much
but it may interest armchair anglers.D
FREEWAY
GALAXIAN
AG009 Activision £18.95
1,2 8 variations
CHILDREN'S SKILL
Now you can find out for yourself why
the chicken crossed ihe road, which in
this game is a ten lane American
freeway. The graphics and the sound
make this game highly entertaining and
good fun for everyone, not just
the kids. D
FROGGER
931402 Parker Brothers £29,95
1,1 + 1 6 variations
CHILDREN'S SKILL
Based on the popular arcade game by
Sega. The idea is to get the Frog across
the road and the river before your time
runs out. Your path is riddled with such
obstacles as Cars, Lorries, Snakes. Logs
and the treacherous Crocodile that will
rear its ugly head to swallow up your
Frog. A nice game for fans of 'he arcade
version, and for all those who like
humorous games that are both easy to
grasp yet remain challenging to the
veteran. D
FROGS 'N' FLIES
5664 Mattel Electronics £9.95
2 single game
CHILDREN'S SKILL
This is Ihe VCS version oi Matlei's 1983
Intellivision release 'Frog Bog" and
despite the differences in memory size
the VCS game has much of the
complexity of the Intellivision one.
You're a frog who's looking lor some
nice juicy flies to eat. Sitting on another
lily pad is another frog, which can be
either human or computer controlled
depending on the game variation. As
flies pass by, you and your opponent
must leap and catch them with your
tongue and land safely on each-other's
pad. You control the length of leap with
the joystick. Too much and you'll land in
the water which will waste valuable
sconng seconds. You have both day
and night on this game. D
CX2684 Atari £29.99
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT "EM UP
A highly successful arcade game that
has enjoyed long stretches at number
two in both Replay and Play Meter
magazines' coin-op chart. By game
standards (where five years is ancient
history) it is quite an old timer, a sort of
follow up to Space Invaders. There are a
batch of Alien Starships all in a
rectilinear formation. They stay at the
same height on the screen but smaller
groups split off from the main group and
swoop down toward your Battlestar
Galactica type space ship at the bottom
of the screen. Apart from that the game
is basically a souped up. faster-paced
version of Space Invaders. However the
graphics are much better, and for those
who are still great fans of the game it's a
good game to upgrade to when even
game 16 on S.I. is no real problem for
you (see separate review). D
GANGSTERALLEY
Frogs rV FllM
SA 201 Spectravision £19.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SHOOT -EM UP
This is a shooting gallery game in which
you have to shoot all the gangsters as
they peep out of the windows. Nicely
done but a bit boring after a while.D
GOLF
CX2634 Atari £14.95
1,1+1 9 holes
SPORT
As far as this particular reviewer is
concerned the game of golf is both
pointless and time consuming, so now,
for all those would-be weekend golfers,
here's a cartridge that's equally
frustrating and maddening. The game
consists of nine well designed holes that
take you through just about every
situation you're likely to meet on the
green, including getting stuck in trees,
bunkers etc. The worst bit about this
game is the golfer and the positioning of
the club which is quite complicated and
resulted in this reviewer hitting the ball
in the wrong direction. However, after a
lew weeks' practise (and a look at the .
fairly comprehensive instruction book)
the game was mastered.
At £14.95 this cartndge is well worth
the money - if only to see some of the
ndiculous situations you can get yourself
into. However, be warned, once
mastered, the game can get dull, but
then so can the real thing unless you're
a pro making a living out of it. Anyway,
the Atari game is a lot more enjoyable
than traipsing around a wet golf course
at some unearthly hour of a Sunday
morning, isn't it?D
Matthew Willson
25
Make no mistake, this little lady is a screen sensation.
More dynamic, more talented than even Pac-Man
himself (and he's the worlds biggest selling video game ever).
Ms. Pac-Man has just what it takes to be a video star.
Graphics that are close to arcade quality Four mazes to
amaze you. She even hands out bonus points for audience
participation. So visit your Atari* Stockist and meet
Ms. Pac-Man in person. She can't
wait for you to give her a screen test
ATARI
9 A VMttv Cormiunicaoona Comceny
More fun and games
•TRADEMARKS OF NAMCO LTD ® INDICATES TRADEMARK OF ATARI INC.© 1983 ATARI INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
t
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
GORF
COL75344 CBS Electronics £29.95
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
Based on Ihe highly popular arcade
coin-op by Bally/Midway, the people
responsible lor Galcoaan and Pac-Man.
This game starts oil with you at the
bottom of the screen being attacked by
Space Invaders which have to be
destroyed in the usual manner- Next
you are confronted by a small batch of
five spaceships, one of which fires long
laser beams at you while the others dive
bomb you. If you survive you go on to
Warp Attack in which a group of TIE
Fighters spiral towards you from what
appears to be a black hole. Finally you
come face to face with the flagship itself.
This can only be destroyed by a burst ol
laser fire in exactly the nght spot If you
succeed in all these tasks you start
again on a higher skill level than before.
Certainly a very challenging game
which, like all other Coleco games, is
available on Intellivision and
Colecovision formats as welLD
GRAND PRIX
AX014 Activision £24.95
1 4 variations
DRIVING
A racing car game, but, unlike Atari's
Indy 500 where the whole race track is
shown on the screen, on Grand Prix the
screen scrolls from right lo left showing
the road flashing past you. The joystick
button controls acceleration; pushing
the joystick up or down controls
movement in those directions; and
pulling it lo the left applies the brakes.
Good graphics are used here and care
has been taken on the little details like
the spinning of the cars' wheels. The
sound is also above average. A must for
all racing car gamers. □
Ml* !
GREAT ESCAPE
CA282 BOMB £21.95
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
No matter how good an idea is for a
video game, a programmer's expertise
can make or break it. In the case of this
one the designer has definitely failed lo
come up with the goods. The idea is to
fly horizontally or vertically, shooting
Just about everything in sight. However,
the graphics are nowhere near as good
as shown in the leaflet (which is
unusual} and the actual control of the
ship is very sluggish and clumsy, which
makes the game no fun at all to play.
Not one person TV Gamer showed this
to liked it. Great Escape is. without
doubt, one to avoid. □
HANGMAN
CX2662 Atari £14.95
l.lvl 9 variations
EDUCATIONAL
This is the video version of the game
traditionally played on paper, and as
nothing is added by being transferred to
the screen it's poor value for money.D
HAUNTED HOUSE
CX2654 Atari £19.99
1 9 variations
ADVENTURE
Atan's follow-up to their highly
innovative game Adventure is by
comparison a little disappointing. The
task at hand is to pick up three pieces of
a Magic Um and to get out alive before
your nine lives are lost by being 'scared
to death' by ghosts, tarantulas.
bats, etc.D
HUMAN
CANNONBALL
CX2627 Atari £14.95
1,1 + 1 16 variations
SKILL
As the name suggests, this is a game in
which you must fire a man out of a
fairground cannon and land him in the
water lower. The angle of the cannon
and the position of the tower can be
altered slightly while the man is in Ihe
air. Quite nice graphics are used
here.D
ICE HOCKEY
AX012 Activision £24.95
l.lvl 4 variations
SPORT
Activision seem to have taken so much
trouble to obtain a high standard of both
graphics and sound that they have
overlooked the qualities of the game
itself. Ice hockey fans may like it but we
found the VCS version far weaker than
the Intellivision (see separate review).D
INDY 500
CX2611 Atari £24.99
l.lvl 4 variations
DRIVING
This was one of the first games out and
at the time cost over £40.00 because it
includes its own custom controller. This
is a refined paddle, rather than the
steering wheel you get with Coleco
Turbo. The idea of the game is to drive
around a race track in a faster time than
your opponents (one human and the
rest computer)* There are, however,
some nice variations on this game such
as 'crash 'n score in which you must be
the first to collide with one of the grids ol
a square.
At a price of £29.95 this represents a
good purchase. D
Grand Prix
28
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
INTERNATIONAL
SOCCER preview
5687 Mattel Electronics £9.95
2 single game
SPORT
As the name suggests this is a video
version of football which sets out to
better Atari's Pele Soccer.
As in Pele soccer the screen scrolls
vertically Instead ol being a bird's eye
view with Lego-like players. The players
are seen In greater detail than on Pele.
In short if you fancy a bit of video soccer
Then go for this one - not only is it better
than the Atari version but at a tenner it s
also a lot cheaper D
JUNGLE HUNT
«&
CX2688 Atari- £24.95
1.1 + 1
SKILL
This is based on Atari's coin-op of the
same name. The game is in several
phases. First you have to swing on vines
to get across a section of scrolling
screen, You then have to swim through
a crocodile-infested river, killing crocs
as you go and surfacing for air. Having
survived that you have to get past a
number of large and small boulders,
some of which you must jump and some
you must dodge. Next comes the
ultimate objective when you must outwit
the cannibal wamor in order to save the
princess. Atari have made good use of
the graphics and sound in this game.
Whether or not it s faithful to the coin -op
is difficult to say as TV Gamer haven't
actually seen it yet, If you have seen
both and can compare them then why
not write in with your views? All In all, a
good game with a nail-biting storyUne.D
KABOOM
AG009 Activision £18.95
1,1 + 1 2 variations paddles
CATCH & SCORE
Larry Kaplan's first VCS game for
Activision is on a 'cops and robbers 1
theme, A crook on lop of the wall is busy
throwing bombs which you must catch
as they fall using the three buckets of
water you have been equipped with. To
succeed, you need very quick reflexes.
The game Is graphically exciting,
including touches such as flames
exploding from the top of the bombs.
KILLER SATELLITES
AR4103 Slarpath £15.'
1,1 + 1 9 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
requires Starpalh Supercharger
£39.95
W*«
This game is like a cross between
Defender and Missile Command. The
obiect is to fly across a horizontally
scrolling screen, shooting down bombs
as they fall towards skyscrapers on
earth. This isn't as simple as it sounds,
since you have to contend with a
multitude of explosives. Not an easy
game to get on with at first, but once you
become more adept, you'll probably
find it rather fun. Certainly worth
investigating. D
LASERBLAST
AG008 Activision £18-95
1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
A conventional 'shoot up' with a twist.
This time your space-ship is the invader
and you are being attacked by
earlhbound laser bases.
These laser bases come in groups of
three and after a few seconds begin to
fire at you, and pretty accurately too.
Your ship can fire downwards in three
directions - straight down and to the left
or nght. You are given three ships to
start with, plus an additional one every
1000 points until you roach the
maximum of seven in reserve. This is an
excellent cartridge bearing in mind its
age, and well worth its price, □
LOCK 'N' CHASE
5663 Mattel Electronics £12.95
1,1 + 1 single game pnrvirw
SKILL MAZE n»»M-w
This is the VCS version of the highly
successful game released for
Intellivision in 1982. It's basically a game
ol cops and robbers in which you're the
robber and the cops are hot on your trail
as you whizz round the maze picking up
gold bars. To avoid being caught you
can slam doors. However, once you've
done that the door is closed to you as
well, so you could trap yourself with one
of the cops that you're trying to avoid.
A very nice variation on a Pac-Man
type theme and one well done with
some reasonable graphics and sound.
Quite close to Ihe original game both in
playability and appearance. D
Lock n' Chase
LOST LUGGAGE
2004 Apollo £19.95
1.1 + 1 6 variations
CATCH N' SCORE
II you've ever been stuck in an airport
arrivals lounge waiting lor your case to
come round on those carousels you'll
like this game. The machine goes
haywire throwing cases every which
way and it's your job to catch them all. It
sounds simple but its not. The game"
requires fast thinking and quick
reactions to avoid dropping a case-
Once this happens, the case bounces
open (along with all the others on
screen) to display the owners' bnghtly
coloured underwear. Good fun for the
kids, but older gamers may prefer
Kaboom.D
MATH GRAN PRIX
CX2658 Atari £14.99
1.2 9 variations
EDUCATIONAL
A maths lest in a board game format,
this involves two racing cars that
overtake each other by solving simple
maths problems. Certainly a lot more
entertaining than its predecessor. Basic
Maths. D.
MAZE CRAZE
CX2635 Atari £19.99
l.lvl 16 variations
MAZE
Subtitled 'A game ol Cops and Robbers*
because ihe maze is supposed to
represent a section of city streets where
a few crooks are lurking. You have to
either apprehend or avoid them
depending on the game vanation you
have reached.
Despite the recent popularity ol maze
games, thanks to Pac-Man, Maze Craze
seems to have been overlooked and
what's more, underrated, as it is a
highly enjoyable game which would
appeal to all those who lind Pac-Man a
little tame.
29
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
MEGAMANIA
EAX017 Activision £29.95
1.1 + 1 4 variations
SPACE SHOOT 'EM UP
This game is in many respects very
similar to the coin-op Astro Blaster. As
usual Activision have taken a lot ol care
over the graphics and the sound. Apart
from that it's more or less a straight-
lorward shoot em up with the exception
oi what you're shooting at. Instead of
your spaceship firing at menacing Alien
Starfighters, it is faced with demon dice,
bow ties, cheeseburgers and car tyres.
You are given limited fuel which can
run out if you take too long to pick off an
enemy wave.
The graphics are really very good
indeed, especially when the ship
disintegrates after being hit. A first rate
space game from Activision. □
NW: if ::;;
MINIATURE GOLF
CX2626 Atari £14.95
1 + 1 9 holes
SPORT
An entertaining game in which you
have to putt your way through a nine
hole course avoiding the obstacles in
your way.D
MISSILE CONTROL
2122 Video Gems £14. <
1 6 games
SCI Fl SHOOT 'EM UP
N*« !
In many ways, this game is similar
to Atari's Missile Command* Your
mission is to protect six cities from the
missiles that are fired at them and to do
this you are given a missile laser base.
Missile Control goes beyond the Atari
version in that you must destroy alien
spacecraft that hide behind force
shields. In addition you are given force
shields from which you can bounce your
missiles, This means that you are kept
on the go right from the beginning. All
in all quite a challenging game lo come
from the recently formed Video Gems
company and certainly worth
considering il you're a Missile
Command fan.D
MISSILE COMM AND
CX2638 Atari £24.99
1,1 + 1 33 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This is the home version ol the popular
arcade game of the same name. The
VCS version was designed by Rob
Fulop who, alter his spell at Atan, went
to [magic where he created the award
winning games Demon Attack and
Cosmic Ark. The idea ol this game is to
save your six cities from nuclear oblivion
by destroying all the alien missiles.
Many people have said this is one o(
the best arcade/VCS translations to
date, and certainly il is an excellent
cartridge bearing in mind the limited
memory space available on the VCS.D
MOUSETRAP
COL75291 CBS Electronics £29.95
1^ single game p REVIEW
This is more or less a game of Pac-Man
only the maze has doors. The little
greedy beach ball has been replaced
by a mouse and the ghosts are now
cats. If the mouse eats a bone it turns
into a dog and starts to chase the
cats. Aparl irorn that the game is much
the same as Pac-Man but then you may
preler a game with cats and mice m it.D
MS PAC-MAN
CX2675 Atari £29.99
1 4 variations
MAZE
Even though Pac-Man was the number
one bestseller in home video games in
1982, many tans of the arcade coin-op
criticised the graphics, the colours and
the game play, saying that they weren't
close enough to the real thing lor their
liking. Once news leaked out that the
sequel to Pac-Man was in production
the fans eagerly waited in the hope thai
Alan would come up with something
that even the most discerning Pac-
Maniac can find no fault with.
Ms Pac-Man lives up to this. The
graphics have been greatly improved
(due to the loss of variations). Our little
yellow friend now actually points in in-
direction it's taking and the unflattering
Vitamins have now been replaced by
fruit which are actually quite realistic
You even get several different patterns
of maze to a game. In short, if you liked
Pac-Man you'll love Ms Pac-Man. D
NEXAR
SA206 Spectravision £19.95
1 3 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This is descnbed as a multi-level space
game, although it iust progresses in
speed rather than m scenery as in such
games as Super Cobra. You are in
control of a Cursor which has the
freedom of the screen. The object of the
game is to destroy the Beacons that drift
along the space lane that you are
patrolling in your Starfighter A nice
simple game that is both challenging
and attractive whilst not being too
complicated for younger gamers.D
NIGHT DRIVER
CX2633 Atari £19.99
1 8 variations paddles
DRIVING
This is the first game designed by top
programmer Rob Fulop, who later
produced the VCS version oi Missile
Command, the Atari 400/800 version of
Space Invaders and Demon Attack lor
Imagic. This steering game involves
navigating dark winding roads to avoid
oncoming cars,D
Night Driver
NO ESCAPE
■*»"
IA3312P Imagic E27.95
1*1 + 1 8 games
SKILL
The world of Greek mythology has
remained virtually unexplored by video
games - until now thai is. This game
was originally titled Escape From Argos
but the name was changed prior to the
UK launch in case people thought the
game required you to get out of a well-
known discount store. The idea behind it
is to destroy the row of Furies above
you. This you do by throwing rocks at
tiles on the temple roof. As the tiles fall
down they hit the Furies. Only tiles will
kill the Furies - if you try to kill them by
stoning them they will jus' multiply and
become faster. So where's the
mythology in that you may ask? Well,
you are supposed to be lason (of Jason
and the Argonauts) who, having just
stolen the Golden Fleece, is trapped
inside the temple of Argos. It was found
that, although the game Is quite difficult
to master, the younger gamers seemed
to get on with it better than did the
battle- hardened arcaders.Q
30
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
No Escape
OTHELLO
CX2639 Atari £14.99
l,lvl 4 variations
CLASSIC
This cartridge is based on a board game
played on an eight by eight gnd, using
black and white discs. The object is to
capture more squares than your
opponent. This you do by changing
your opponent s counters to your colour
by sandwiching them between two of
your own.
The computer opponent plays at three
different skill levels. At level one, it plays
as a novice but the computer can
manage only average ability even at Its
highest level of play. Nevertheless, a
good cartridge for these who enjoy this
type of strategy game, but one that's
now showing its age. D RP* Davis
OUTLAW
CX2605 Atari £14.99
l f lvl 16 variations
COMBAT
Based loosely on the old arcade game
Boot Hill, where two gunmen settle their
differences the only way they know how
- with a shoot out. A moving bnck wall
is among the different obstacles you
have to shoot through in order to get
your man.D
PAC-MAN
CX2646 Atari £29.99
1,1 + 1 16 variations
MAZE
Last years most successful game in the
U.K. and more popular than anything
else worldwide. The idea oi the game is
to work your way round the maze,
gobbling up the dots and avoiding the
ghosts that are after you. You can,
however, strike back if you eat a power
pill. Although a very good and very
addictive game, it is not a good copy oi
the arcade coin-op by Bally/Midway {the
people responsible for Galaxian). The
maze, the colours and the sound are
different and there is no fruit in the
maze. )ust rectangular Vitamin Pills. If
you want arcade realism go for Ms Pac-
Man.D
PELE SOCCER
CX2616 Atari £24.95
l.lvl
SPORT
One ol the best sports games to come
from Atari and one of the first to
incorporate scrolling. The game features
the sound ol cheering and a firework
display when you or your opponent
score. □
PHASER PATROL
AR4000 Starpath free
1 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
requires Starpath Supercharger
£39.95
This is the game thai comes with the
revolutionary Supercharger. It Is
basically a Slar Raiders game with all
the familiar features; galactic chart, long
range scan, battle computer, damage
computer arid good old siarbases. The
idea is to rid your quadrant space of all
enemy fighters. The graphics - which
have to be seen to be believed - are by
far the best of any Star Raiders-type
game, in fact, in |ust about every way
Phaser Patrol is superior to the
competition; sound, graphics, ease of
operation and so on are all so much
better than VCS Star Raiders, Star
Voyager or Starmaster. However, at
£39.95 for the Supercharger, the best
space game around for.the VCS does
not come cheap. Even so, this initial
outlay can soon be covered once a
couple of Supercharger tapes are
bought. In short try it, you'll like it.D
PHOENIX
CX2673 Atari £29.99
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT EM UP
#:
This arcade smash is now holly tipped
to be the VCS cartridge of 1983 and is
the theme ol this year's Atari UK and
World Championships. The general
idea is to blast as many birds as possible
with your Sand Crawler although,
unlike such games as Space Invaders or
Galaxian, you are given some variety in
game play. You start off with small birds
that can be picked oft without too much
bother. After two waves you move on to
bigger birds which need to be shot in
the middle to be destroyed (although
you can wing ihem). You are then
confronted with the rnothership which is
quite complex to deal with. The idea is
to get the pilot who is seated in the
centre, and to do this you must shoot firs!
through the base and then through the
scrolling central part. You then wait lor
the hole you piade to come round again
so that you can blast him. Bui youVe got
to be careful, because not only does he
fire back but the ship gets lower and
lower. This should certainly appeal to
Demon Attack lovers as it is a first rate
game of thistype.D
Phoenix
PITFALL
jZ
AX18 Activision £29.95
1 single game
ADVENTURE
This is Activision s first attempt at
adventure games and it has a decidedly
tropical theme toil. You are Pitfall
Harry, a jungle escplorer and treasure
hunter who's a bit like Indiana fones (but
this is probably |ust a coincidence).
Basically Harrys task is to pick up all the
treasure he can lind along his route
whilst avoiding scorpions, rattlesnakes,
crocodiles, logs and tar pits. To do this
several skills must be learnt such as
hopping crocodile heads and swinging
on vines. Pitfall is certainly one of the
best adventure games currently on the
market for the VCS, offering 255 different
screen settings. □
31
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
PLANET PATROL
SA202 Spectravision £19.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SPACE SHOOT EM UP
One of the few space games released
this year thai has not been inspired by
either an arcade game or a film. The
game itself has been well thought out
and a number ol skills are required for
you to master it fully. You must shoot
down as many as you aanol theTXA.s
(Troublessorne Invading Aliens) that
come up against you head on. After that
you must rescue the crew of a stranded
Earth fighter, then destroy three enemy
bases in order to continue - and that's
lust the start. You than take on the
enemy in darkness. A very good space
game.D
RAIDERS OF THE
LOST ARK
CX2659 Atari £29.99
1 single game
MOVIE TIE IN
A
This adventure game is based on the
highly successful film by Steven (E.T.J
Speilberg and George (Star Wars)
Lucas. The goal is to lind the Well of
Souls which contains the tabled Lost Ark
of the Covenant. To do this you must first
lind the Map Room which gives the
location ol the Lost Ark (this is different
each game). En route you must pick up
treasures and deal with the traders of
the Black Market. A fascinating game
that takes some working out. Of course,
seeing the film helps as well.D
RA QUETBALL
2003 Apollo £19.95
1.1 vl 2 variations
SPORT
Raquetball for those who don't know it is
the American name for squash Ithe
game, not the dnnk). The video version
is very good, not because it is a faithful
representation but because it is a lot of
fun to play. □
REACTOR
931506 Parker £29.95
1,1 + 1 8 variations
SKILL
You are in control oi a robot whose task
is to keep a nuclear reactor at bay. You
have an expending core In the centre of
the screen, which you musi prevent
irom expanding by blowing the control
rods at either side. Every so often
Neutrons and Protons escape and you
have to lure them to the sides of the
reactor so that they can be destroyed.
Although not a particularly accurate
simulation it is a very good game with
plenty of action in in*D
P'*IC\"i
REALSPORTS
SOCCER
CX2667 Atari £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SPORT
Alan's second attempt at British-style
football, their first try being Pele
Championship Soccer which was later
renamed Pele Soccer. The biggest
difference between the two is in the
direction of scrolling. Realsports Soccer
scrolls horizontally whereas Pele
scrolled vertically (Pele Soccer has now
been officially phased out to make way
for this latest version). The on-screen
players are more realistically produced
but it's a great pity that Atari have left
out the fireworks which followed each
goal in the original version. Other than
that it's just football.
Of course, it's debatable whether
people will pay nearly C30 tor a game
that, for next to nothing, they can play in
their back garden. We shall see.D
REALSPORTS TENNIS
CX2680 Atari £29.95
1,1 + 1 2 variations
SPORTS
t0 !
If you're keen on tennis then this game
is a good one to add to your library. It is
much the same as Activision s Tennis
only with refined graphics on the net
and on the players' kit, Gameplay is
pretty faithful to the official rules of
tennis- This game possibly has a slight
edge on the Activision version but then
it is more expensive. Certainly if you Ye
considering buying a tennis game think
first about how much you actually want
to pay - you may lind you're better off
with Activision- D ^
RIDDLE OF THE
SPHINX
A
1A3600 Imagic £27.95
1 3 variations
ADVENTURE
Imagic s first adventure game and also
the first one to use two controllers for one
player.
As the title suggests this game has a
decidedly Egyptian theme to it. As an
Egyptian prince, you must save the
Valley of the King after Anubis the
jackal-headed god has put a terrible
curse on it. Instead of being a
conventional multi-board game this one
scrolls upward or downward as you
move. On the way you must buy and
sell with the traders, stop off at an Oasis
to quench your thirst and pick up objects
thai will help you on your way. To aid
you there is the goddess Isis. To hinder,
there are thieves and Anubis himself. A
very complex game indeed that uses
every control available on the VCS. A
first rate adventure game.D
RIVER RAID
AX020 Activision £29.95
1,1 + 1 2 variations
COMBAT SHOOT 'EM UP
This is the first game by Activision's
programmer Carol Shaw. In many
respects it is a military, bird's-eye view
version of the game Scramble. The aim
is to use your yellow jet fighter to bomb
as many enemy fuel depots, bndges,
jets and other landmarks as possible as
you swoop along the river. Your limited
fuel supply is replenished only when
you bomb fuel tanks.
In short, an exciting game.Q
River Raid
ROOM OF DOOM
CommaVid £21.95
1,1 + 1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
You are a warrior, imprisoned in a
series of Dungeons with several doors in
each. Behind these doors are baddies
who will hreat yod it given half a
chance- If you do manage to shoot the
evil wamors while their door Is open,
then that door stays open* When you
have opened all the doors in a room you
are transported to the next Dungeon,
where the enemy are more treacherous
than ever.
A nice feature about this game is that
you can start a new game at the level
you reached last time. Very useful. The
graphics and sound aren't up to much
but this is more than compensated for by
the challenging game play.D
32
Liberate the caiaxy! For ^eons
ana zeons the evil mirpods
from tne planet T20RIS nave
Deen raiding tne far corners
of our galaxy causing destruction
and havoc!
Now our crack scientists have
developed a new weapon called a
"SPECTRON\
As vou have succeeded with vour
mission on "planet patrol", vou
have Deen selected for tms glorious
task Proceed immediately to the
planet tzoris Attack wtth your
*5PECTRON'\ and see if you can catch
tne mirpqos m a — "cross force".
eyond galaxies known to man,
Oeyond time as we perceive it,
lies the source of inner power
There, in a remote corner of the
universe, future spectra warriors
are trained for tne conquests to come,
from the manv who try. only a
selected few can meet the challenge
OF NEXAR.
'
O
to
T3xrmm/m&7
by
vuLCArFy
mh monies ltd
-
You re an ace fighter pilot
patrolling ana protecting the
galaxy Vou are constantly being
attacked by evil forces who fire
missiles at vour craft. As vou guide
vour ship across the colorful terrain
you aoage oncoming missiles and vou
fire bacx. The object of the game is to
destroy as .many missiles and tne base
station before it destroys you. vour
assignment takes you from daylight to
night missions and in your encounters,
you have to rescue downed pilots.
Periodically vou have to matte re-
fueling stops me Graphics are true to
life, planet patrol is destined to
become a universal hit.
Other titles include -
(available now)
GANGSTER ALLEY
MASTER BUILDER
(Christmas Release)
GALACTIC TACTICS
MANGIA
Phone for details of nearest
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The Vectrex game library is large, wide and varied.
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Vectrex even has software that talks!
All the Vectrex software including
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• - ■
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To: Milton Bradley Ltd., CP House, 97- 107 Ux bridge Road,
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Ptease tend mc more details on the exciting \taclirx System, my free Vccirrx
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vrasT?mrarciii
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
SORCERER'S
APPRENTICE
<e«"
CX26109 Atari £24.95
1 single game
CHILDREN'S MOVIE TIE-IN
This game is based on Wall Disney's
Fdntasia. In it you control a liitle Mickey
Mouse clad in red robe and hat, There
are two play scenes. One is on the
mountain tops where you try lo catch
falling stars and magically zap
streaking comets and thunder clouds.
The other is in the Sorcerer's cavern
where you attempt to stop all the bucket-
carrying mops from flooding the caves.
You can play one or other of the scenes
or you can alternate between the two-
Not the most difficult game ever created
but then it is designed for younger
gamers. The graphics are pretty good
and overall the game is to be
recommended to young gamers and
Walt Disney fans.D
SEA QUEST pheview
AX002 Activision £29.95
1 variation
COMBAT SHOOT 'EM UP
In control of a mini-sub, your task is to
rescue divers and destroy all the
sharks, squids and even deep sea
pirates that are out to get both the diver
and the treasure he is seeking. You
have a limited amount of oxygen so you
regularly have to surface for a fresh
supply.
Steve Cartwnght the designer (also
responsible for such hits as
Barnstorming and Megamania) has, as
usual, paid careful attention to small
details like the spinning propellers and
the diver s kicking legs,D
SHARK ATTACK
2005 Apollo £19.95
1,1 + 1 16 variations
MAZE
At first appearance this game may look
like an underwater Pac-Man but it is
entirely different. It was originally called
Loch law but this had to be changed
bfecause the film company MCA said
that it was too similar to their films laws
and laws D.
The game is set in Loch Ness and you
are a diver trying to collect the plentiful
pearls lying around in the maze-like
caverns. But in doing so, you disturb the
shark that lives there, and he storms
from side to side trying to catch you. You
may, if you're not careful, wake up
Nessie herself and in this game at leasl
she's not someone you'd wgnl at a
party!
This is certainly one of the best games
to come from Apollo. □
SKEET SHOOT
1001 Apollo £13.95
1,1 vl 17 variations
SPORT
This game gels the vote as the worst
game available for the VCS. Both
yourself and the Skeet appear at
random positions on the screen so the
chances of hitting it are less than slim-
Added to that it's a boring game.O
SKIING
AG005 Activision £18.95
1 10 variations
SPORT
This game, although several years old,
still remains one of the most realistic
sporl games available for the VCS.
There are basically two games on this
cartridge. The first is Slalom which
involves you weaving your way through
a number of slalom gates (as
determined by the game variation). The
second is Downhill Run. in which you
have to complete a certain number of
metres m a fixed time (again determined
in the game variations).
A very good cartridge. D
SKY DIVER
CX2629 Atari £14.95
1 + 1 5 variations
SKILL
The object is to drop your parachutist on
the landing pad before your opponent.
The later you open your parachute the
more points you get, but the skill lies in
careful timinglD
SfcyD
lYSr
SKY SKIPPER jig!?
l~
931510 Parker
1 3 games
SKILL
£27.95
This game is based on Nintendo's
popular coin-op oi the same name. The
idea of the game is to fly your bi-plane
around the playiield knocking out
gorillas and picking up rabbits, ducks,
monkeys and doves from their cages. In
other words it's one of those weird
games following in the tradition of
Amida, also from Parker. The playfield
is three screens high so. when you're
flying around, scrolls vertically.
Although this is an entertaining well-
presented game, after a while it could
become a bit boring - especially if you
get very good at it. All the same an ideal
one for younger gamers. D
SLOT RACERS
CX2606 Atari £14.95
2 9 variations
DRIVING MAZE
Poor graphics mar this game, in which
two cars, represented by squares,
pursue each other round a mcce. The
aim is to shoot down the nval car.D
SMURF
PREVIEW
COL75291 CBS Electronics £29.95
1 single game
CHILDREN'S ADVENTURE
A game based on the popular TV
characters. In this game a Smurf has
been sent out of the village to find a
Smurfette (a female Smurf) locked up m
Gargamels Castle. The journey there
isn't easy as you have to jump over
fences, hills and rocks, dodge bats and
spiders and keep your energy up by
eating hard-to-reach berries.D
SP ACE CAVER N
2002 Apollo £13.95
1,1 + 1 48 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
The name might suggest to you a
fantasy role-playing game in which you
have to explore various caverns. If that
is the case the/i you'll be disappointed
because it is in fact a simple shoot 'em
up. You control a little figure at the
bottom of the screen that shoots at flying
creatures in much the same way as in
Demon Attack. However, there is the
added complication of Burlwors (hairy
Pac-Men) that crawl out from the sides of
the caves. By moving the joystick up or
down you can fire from left to right.
Apart from that, it's a fairly mindless
game that doesn'r require much
brainpower at all. D
SPACE CHASE
2001 Apollo £13.95
1,1 + 1 24 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
A good old fashioned shoot 'em up
is set against a backdrop of an orange
planet. The game has a poor
appearance as it's strung together m
rather an amateur way.D
36
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
S PACE INVADERS
CX2632 Atari £24.95
1.1 + 1,2 112variations
SCI FI SHOOT -EM UP
This is probably the most famous game
of the lot (bar Pac-Man). It has a total of
1 12 variations, all of which involve
shooting down aliens, who descend on
your laser cannon in nice neat rows.
You gain more points if the invader you
destroy is high up on the screen. You
have three lives in which to destroy all
the little beasties before they land,
otherwise the games over. As they
descend, their speed increases with the
last invader moving the fastest. The
game is broken up by the blue
command ship that flies overhead every
once in a while. Variations include zig-
zagging bombs and invisible invaders,
which only appear on the screen when
one of them is hit. Despite this game's
age it still remains a favourite for its
sound effects and its many variations,
and for the fact that two people can
play, with one controlling the movement
of the laser base and the other
controlling the laser fire. This cartridge
definitely rates highly- □
Sonya Bradford
Ifll ffl ffl ffil ffl Iffl
colours they employ in this game,
destined to be another winner, O
Space Invaders
SPACE WAR
CX2604 Atari £14.99
1,1 vl 17 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This was the first Sci Fi cartridge to come
from Atari. In 11 you control an Asteroids-
type spaceship and battle it out with an
opponent. Although it does show its age
slightly it is still a challenging game and
pretty good value. □
SPI DER FIGHTER
AX021 Activision £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SKILL SHOOT -EM UP
Inspired by the Centipede game
designed by Larry Miller. Your task is to
rid your fruit of such pests as Arachnids,
Spy Pods, Green Widows and the
treacherous Stinger insect.
As usual, Activision excel in the
Spider Fighter
SPIDERMAN
931503 Parker £29.95
1,1 + 1 6 variations
CLIMBING
This game is a bit like the arcade game
'Crazy Climber' in which you have to
scale the wall of a high tower block.
However in Spiderman you have
additional complications ranging from
crooks appearing who try to cut your
web. to the dreaded Green Goblin
himself at the very top of the building,
who is guarding the Super Bomb that
Spiderman must defuse, A fun game
which features some nice graphics, but
fans of super heroes would be better off
with Superman.Q
STAMPEDE
AG001 Activision
1, Ivl 8 variations
SKILL
£18.95
Okay partners its time for some roundin"
up. The idea of this game is to lasso as
many cattle as you can before three gel
past you. Be careful not to collide with a
skull or your horse will rear and slow
you down. □
STARMASTER
AX0I6 Activision £24,95
1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
Regarded by many as the best of the
Star Raider type of games on the
market for VCS al present. The
designer, Alan Miller, won an Arcade
Alley Award in 1982 for its highly
commendable graphics and sound.
The idea is to protect your four
Starbases from the vicious onslaught of
enemy fighters. The console switches
are used on this game to call up the
Sector Chart- A highly challenging
game that seems to have more appeal
than Star Raiders. □
STAR RAIDERS
CX2660 Atari £29.99
1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This game was immensely popular as
Atan 400/800 computer program. It won
awards for being the best space game
and so it is rather surpnsing that Atan
waited so long 1o bring out a VCS
version. Activision and Imagic have
already launched similar games but
Afans version has one distinct
advantage over these rivals. There is a
video touch pad, which is basically a
Jazzed-up keyboard controller, that
accepts overlays and is included with
each Star Raiders cartridge. If Atan
bring out any more games that use the
touch pad people will have to buy Star
Raiders regardless of whether or not
they want the cartridge. The additional
controller operates the shield, the
Galactic chart and hyperspace. The
Joystick controls the actual movement of
the ship and the laser fire. All in all a
good game, but Starmaster has a slight
edge, D
STAR VOYAGER
1A3201 Imagic £27.95
1, lvl, 2 2 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This is Imagic s answer to Star Raiders,
lis very similar lo both Star Raiders and
Starrnaster in many respects, although i!
is the only one without a galactic chart
of any description. The idea of this game
is not to get rid of all the nasties in the
galaxy but simply to hunt out and pass
through seven Star Portals before you
run out of energy. This is also the only
one that gives you a choice of weapons.
You can have either Photons, which are
slow, less accurate but more economical
on energy, or Lasers which are fast,
accurate but bum up lots of energy. All
in all a very nice game in the Star
Raiders genre but not quite as good as
Starmaster. □
STAR WARS
JEDI ARENA
931507 Parker £29.95
I, lvl 8 variations paddles
MOVIE TIE IN
Although this isn't actually based
on any oi the films, it is inspired by some
of the ideas. It is basically a Lightsabre
due! with the help of a Remote, a little
droid about the size oi a snooker ball.
Both you and the other fedi arc
surrounded by protective walls made
up of bricks that can be knocked out by
aiming the Remote carefully. The rays
from your opponent's sabre can be
deflected by swinging your Lightsabre
and blocking the shot. The battle rages
until one of the Jedis in the fedi Arena
wins three matches. □
37
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEWS
STAR WARS -
THE EMPIRE
STRIKES BACK
93501 Parker £29.95
1,1 + 1 32 variations
MOVIE TIE IN
This game depicts the bailie on the ice
planet Hoth In Episode V of the Star
Wars saga. You have control of a rebel
Snowspeeder armed with a front
mounted laser cannon. Your task is to
prevent 'he advance of the Imperial
Snow-walkers lor as long as possible. A
large number of hits are needed to
destroy a Snow-walker but occasionally
a bomb hatch will open and begin
flashing, and ii you can hit it you will
destroy it straight away. Your speeder
can sustain up to three hits but it can
land in a valley lor repairs. Every two
minutes the 'Force will be with you' and
you are impervious to the Imperial laser
fire for a while. A must for anyone lond
of scrolling shoot 'em ups in the
Defender style. □
STREET RACER "
CX2612 Atari £18.95
l.lvl 27variations paddles
DRIVING
The idea is tor you to avoid various
obstacles that scroll down towards you
;: you drive. Each vanation of the game
has different obstacles to navigate
around. □
SUICIDE MISSION
AR4102 Starpath £15.95
1.1 + 1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
15 .1
Ii you read this games blurb in the
catalogue you mighi easily get the
impression that it's similar to Imagic's
Microsurgeon as there is a lot of stulf
about travelling through blood streams,
warding off viruses etc* However, once
loaded, the game turns out to be a
jazzed up Asteroids, with a red
background and bubble-like substitutes
for the Asteroids,
In fact, both in graphics and control
it's much better than Asteroids and thus
lt> be recommended. D
SUPER BREAKOUT
CX2608 Atari £19.99
1,1 + 1 9 variations
SKILL BAT 'N' BALL
Aiter the success of the game Breakout,
Atari decided to make a sequel. Even
though the idea has been refined, it
failed to achieve the same interest as the
original, probably because gamers have
become a lot more sophisacated since
Breakout appeared on the market* □
. ;t * :;:■ ::
SUPERMAN
SURROUND
CX2631 Atari £24.95
1 single game
ADVENTURE
Assuming the role of the Man of Steel,
the object is to put a number of crooks in
jail (including the elusive Lex Luthor),
re-assemble the Metropolis State Bridge
and avoid the dreaded Kryptonite.n
B-»
SURFER'S PARADISE
2123 Video Gems
1 4 games
SKILL
£14.95
JtfW-'
A very American idea for a game from
the Hong Kong-based company Video
Gems. It is surprising that one of the
Califomian- based software companies
didn't jump on the surfing theme long
before now.
The game itself is in two phases. The
first involves you riding along on the
crest of a wave trying to stay afloat and
lumping when the shark goes for your
ankles. 11 the shark is successful or ii you
fall in then you go into the second
phase. This requires you to swim
through a shipwreck avoiding killer
jelly-fish before surfacing by your
abandoned surfboard. Once you have
done this, phase one begins again*
When so many video games seem to
be more or less the same thing, it's
refreshing to see a completely original
idea. This one is definitely worth
checking out. □
CX2641 Atari £14.95
l,lvl 14 variations
SKILL
An early VCS game that is still popular.
The aim is to surround your opponent
with the wall you are building behind
you. Graphics aren't up to much, the
sound will drive you potty but the game
itself is fun, □
TAPE WORM
SA204 Spectravision £19.95
1.1 + 1 4 variations
CHILDREN'S SKILL
Despite its rather unsavoury title the
game itself is actually a hi-tech version
of Surround. Slinky, the hero, trots
around the screen trying to get lo the
beans before the spider at the bottom of
the screen gets to the fruit. As Slinky
progresses, he encounters more
valuable fruit and sneakier adversaries.
A great game for ail those who liked
Surround. □
TENNIS
AG007 Activision £18-95
l.lvl 4 variations
SPORT
The besl sporl simulation of all time for
Ihe VCS - which is praise indeed as it
has been on the market now for three
years.
Instead of the old Pong-type bat n'
ball games this one has both realistic
players and proper tennis rules, so you
can have your own little Wimbledon, A
38
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEW
'
lol of care has been taken on this game
and many nice little touches - such as
the ball being given a shadow - have
been added. □
3-D TIC TAC TOE
CX2618 Atari £14.95
1,1 vl 9 variations
CLASSIC
This is a lour layered version of
noughts and crosses which calls for a
planned strateoy if you are lo beat the
computer. Quite a good screen
translation of a board game that
became popular in the mid 70s.n
TRICK SHOT
1A3000 Imagic £22.95
l.lvl 14 variations
SPORT
Fancy playing a Utile Pool? With Trick
Shot you can. The screen is a pool table
and your joystick is your cue. The
graphics are good but the sound leaves
something to be desired. □
TRON - DEADLY
DISCS
5666 Mattel Electronics £12.95
1 single game
MOVIE TIE-IN SHOOT 'EM UP
Based on the Walt Disney hit film, the
first to use high resolution computer
graphics in some of the scenes. This
particular game is based on the disc
battles that Tron and the other captured
programmes had to go through. You
control the little blue Tron figure around
the game grid, avoiding the Red
Wamors discs whilst despatching them
with yours. The game looks deceptively
simple at first, but in fact is very
challenging. □
VANGUARD
2=
CX2669 Atari £29.99
1,1 + 1 single game
SCI H SHOOT 'EM UP
This game certainly tops the chart for
the most colourful video game around. It
is set in a series of caverns which are
controlled by the evil Gond. You must
lead the Vanguard expedition in your
space 'copter and destroy Gond before
he destroys you. On the way you are
confronted with a variety of dangers
including enemy fighters, force fields
and energy barriers. At the beginning
of each game and at each turning point
you are shown a map of the route. The
nice thing about this is that when the
caverns are horizontal the screen scrolls
from nght to left and when the caverns
are vertical the screen scrolls from top to
bottom. The graphics are truly excellent.
The cavern walls are rainbow coloured
Vanguard
and the bands seem to merge into each
other to achieve a very spectacular
effect, □
VENTURE
PREVIEW
COL75283 CBS Electronics £29.95
1 single game
ADVENTURE
In this game a female Pac-Man runs
around a series of rooms picking up
treasures as she goes. You are shown a
map of the rooms (there are four to a
level) which you have to visit in order to
pick up the treasure. The rooms look
rather like the mazes in Bereerk and are
infested by little blue beasts which you
have to shoot -
An interesting game but nowhere
near as good as its sister version for
Colecovision.D
VIDEO CHECKERS
CX2636 Atari £14.99
l,lv5 19 variations
CLASSICS
For Ihose who don't know, checkers is
American for draughts. This is just the
cartridge version of the popular board
game and unless you're a real addict of
the game, rather limited in its interest. □
VIDEO CHESS
CX2645 Atari £18.95
1 8 levels
CLASSICS
There are 8 levels of play on this
cartridge ranging from novice right up
to grand master. It takes up to 12 (that's
nght, TWELVE) hours per move, which
can mean you leaving your VCS on for
possibly weeks at a time. □
VIDEO OLYMPICS
CX2621 Atari £18.95
lv3 50 variations paddles
SPORT
A collection ol fifty Pong variations for
one, two or four players at a time. The
graphics and sound are unremarkable
but the cartridge is worth buying, if only
as a record of how unsophisticated
video games were only five years ago. □
VIDEO PINBALL
CX2648 Atari £14.99
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SKILL
This is a game that attempts to recreate
the atmosphere of an old fashioned
pinball machine. It features drop
targets, rollovers (shaped like an Atan
symbol) and a trio of thumper bumpers.
You're given two flippers and you can
vary the speed at which you initially fire
the bail {you can also 'tilt' - guide the
ball in your favour - to a certain extent
but the game isn't stupid and will stop
you). Compared with all the other
Pinball games around ior video, this
one is about the best to date and p
certainly a lot cheaper than buying a
pinball machine: D
Video Pinball
39
r\
ATARI SOFTWARE REVIEW
VOLLEYBALL
CX2666 Atari £19.99
l.lvl 4 variations
SPORT
First in a series ol Atari Realsporls. The
game itself complies quite closely with
the official rules of the game volleyball.
It may fall to generate much interest
unless you are a fan of the sport. D
C 2
Volley!, il!
WALL-DEFENDER
CA285 BOMB £21.95
1 single game
SCI FI SHOOT *EM UP
8*"
This game is quite novel in terms of
concept. You're guarding a fortress
which is being attacked by marauding
alien creatures. You must patrol the
penmeter ol the fortress, shooting at the
aliens that scuttle up to the wall in their
attempt to weaken it. If ten aliens hit it,
the outer wall disintegrates and you
have to quickly cross the bridge to the
next wall in and guard that until all the
walls are gone. Not the most
breathtaking graphics or sound ever
produced on a home video game but,
nevertheless, an absorbing game
which requires plenty ol dextenty.D
WARLORDS
CX2610 Atari £19.99
1 .2,3,4 23 variations paddles
COMBAT
A strong medieval theme to this game.
You Ye in control of the Guardian that
patrols your castle, which is made up of
Breakout' bricks, four layers thick. You
must stop three nval Guardians
knocking a hole through the castle wall
with lire or lightning balls. II your king is
struck it will mean instant death for you
and him. At first glance this game looks
a bit crude and simple but it's worth
pursuing. It's a fast-moving, all action
cartridge with some nice graphic
touches. Q
Wr:: ■■;.;,
WIZARD OF WOR
COL75358 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,2 2 variations
MAZE SHOOT t EM UP
This title is also available in Intellivislon
and Colecovision formats. You are a
Space warnor trapped in a senes of
mazes, inhabited by roaming monsters
who are trying to shoot you. You must
shoot them instead and progress
through the mazes until you run out of
lives. In certain mazes a demon appears
who runs round the maze much more
quickly than the monsters. If you shoot
him you will either get a big point bonus
or a chance to take out the Wizard
himself. If you succeed at either of these
you are treated to a graphics display in
which the maze flashes in different
colours - very rewarding. One of the
best and most challenging maze games
around. □
YARS' REVENGE
CX2655 Atari £24.99
1,1 + 1 7 variations
SCI FI SHOOT -EM UP
One of the few Sci Fi games from Atan
that was not previously an arcade
game. The idea - and the characters -
are totally original. The game features
the Yars, mutant houseflies, and their
opponents the Dreaded Quotiles
(pronounced Quo-Tiles). The object is to
blow up as many Quotiles as possible
before you lose all your Yar Scouts* To
do this you must knock a hole through
the wall surrounding the Yars and then
use the Zorlon Cannon (your secret
weapon) to blast the enemy. When this "
is achieved, you receive quite a visual
treat.
It's a pleasant change to discover an
original space game, and even better to
find one as good as this.D
ZAXXON
COL75275 CBS Electronics £29-95
1 single game
SCI FT SHOOT 'EM UP
This is a space.garne with a novel
setting. You are in a Starfighter armed
with a laser and flying over a series of
space platforms. One of the platforms
contains your arch enemy, the evil
superdroid Zaxxon. Along the way, as
in such games as Scramble, you have to
bomb missile silos and installations as
well as enemy fighters. The big
difference between this and the
Colecovision version is that with the
VCS version you get a head-on view of
the Space Platform instead of the angled
view you get on Colecovision and the
Segacoinop.D
Z-TACK
0il
CA283 BOMB £21.95
1,1 + 1 4 games
SCI FI SHOOT r EM UP
This is probably the second best video
game to come from this new company,
BOMB, the best being Assault (see
separate review). Your mission is to
shoot at various cities as you pass above
them in your flying saucer They
retaliate by firing back and launching
fighters against you. You can lire left,
right and down in much the same way
as you do in Cosmic Ark (see separate
review) as you shoot your way through
a total of six different landscapes. Not a
world beating game but well worth
having a look, □
T
40
L
_ Vara Ri'vengo
?5^ r^s
tmayic games are the only real alternative to
Intellivision's own cartridges. We make it hard
for the players „. and that's what you want!
There's Beauty and the Beast, Demon Attack,
1982 game of the year in the USA. Atlantis,
Microsurgeon, Swords & Serpents, Dragonfire,
Ice Trek, Nova Blast. Dracula, Tropical
Alii
1H0D
Trouble, White Water and Safe Cracker.
What a list! And all of them have the superb
graphics and tremendous sound effects
you've come to expect from us. Why
not treat yourself to an Imagic
game ...and give your
Intellivision system a hard time!
r *u-
■ .ij*5fc
Created by Experts for Experts
Hales Ltd., P.O. Box 33, Harrowbrook Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, 1110 3DN
A member of the Adam Leisure Group PL
I
m
H
INTELLIVISION SYSTEM REVIEW
t
A quality game that talks, too!
Mattel's Intellivision
Available: now Price: £89. 95
1 979 was the year Mattel Electronics
launched their games console the
Intellivision (Intelligent television). It
was designed after the Atari VCS
and Mattel learned a great deal
from the former's mistakes. It's a
smarter unit in a brown, gold and
wood-grain finish. The two neat
slim-line controllers - of the univer-
sal vanety - comprise a 12 button
keypad, four action buttons {two on
either side) and a 16 position disc
(as opposed to most systems that
only have an eight position joy-
stick). Very few players find the disc
comfortable al first. However, once
mastered, it's more than adequate
for most gamers. Both controllers
are wired into the console and are
not interchangeable which is some-
thing of a disadvantage, especially
if one goes wrong. Overall, thecon-
sole layout has an uncluttered look
which is pleasing to the eye.
Aside from the controllers there
are only two buttons: an on/off
switch and a game reset button.
There are no difficulty switches or
black and white/colour selector, so
be warned if you have only a mono-
INTELLIVISION SYSTEM REVIEW
chrome (black and white) set as you
won't be able to tell the colours
apart.
The Intellivision Is superior to the
Atari since it will accept 12k cai-
tridges. This explains Mattel's
higher resolution graphics, though
very few Mattel games actually use
all 12k. The most famous 12k game
was Tron - Maze A Tron which just
goes to prove that a large memory
doesn't always make a good game.
During the first few years of its
existence Mattel concentrated on
sport simulations, such as Football,
Hockey, Golf etc. This is one of the
reasons why Mattel have sold less
units than Atari. The former have
been rather slow to come up with
arcade titles which are far and
away the most popular type of
game. Their first major scoop was
obtaining the rights to the Walt
Disney film, Tron, which they
fought Atan for. So far there have
been three game spin offs from this
film. Mattel are now obtaining
copyrights left, right and centre. In
addition, they have got several
arcade licences from Data East, a
lesser known arcade manufacturer
than, say. Sega or Bally. These
games will be popping up in the
next few months.
In addition to this, several games
companies, who have been making
cartridges for the VCS, are now
making games for Intellivision.
Imagic was the first, followed closely
by Activision, Parker and CBS
Electronics. Atari themselves hope to
produce games for Intellivision pro-
vided they and Mattel can sort out the
legal wrangle in which they are both
involved. Therefore all Intellivision
owners can now rest assured that
exciting software will be available for
their system.
On the hardware side things look
equally rosy with the promise that
the long-awaited home computer
add-on will be here by Christmas.
The computer was one of the goodies
Mattel promised back in 1979. An
undertaking now, hopefully, about
to be realised. TV Gamer can't really
give any detailed specifications until
one is received for test. There is also a
synthesiser keyboard planned for
before Christmas. As far as is known
this will be a six octave polyphonic
keyboard which will convert your
games system into a low cost syn-
thesiser. It will have accompanying
software designed to teach or tin
prove musical skills.
One piece of hardware already
out is the Intellivoice synthesis'
which has become more popular
since its recent drop in price to
£49.95. It gives an Intellivision the
power of speech, allowing certain
special games cartridges to talk
back to you. The original fear was
that the games wouldn't actually
make good use of the voice but the
cntics have been proved wrong
and now there is a growing range
of voice software .
In the past Mattel's big drawback
has been pnce and this has con-
tributed to its number two position,
ranking behind Atari. But, with the
advances Mattel are now making,
who knows what the situation will
be in a few years tin
*
l^fiti i\Wm
\:
INTELLIVISION SOFTWAHE REVIEWS
ADVANCED
DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS/CLOUDY
MOUNTAIN
3410 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1 4 variations
ADVENTURE
Originally called just Advanced
Dungeons and Dragons, this game has
now had 'Cloudy Mountain' added to il
because there will be more D & D games
coming out.
Like many of Mattel's best games this
has two phases to it, a map phase
showing where you are in relation to
everything else and a battle phase
where most of the action takes place.
The object of the game is to retneve two
pieces of the Enchanted Blue crown that
are guarded in Cloudy Mountain itself.
To get there you must cross smaller
mountains, picking up treasures and
overcoming various adversaries as you
go. Among the best of the 1982 releases
and still an excitinq game.D
ARMOR BATTLE
1 121 Mattel Electronics £21 .95
1 ( 1 v 1 1 random variation
COMBAT
This ifi certainly one of the best tank
games around, with impressive
graphics coupled with a complex game.
The idea Is to shoot down more tanks
than your opponent by the end of the set
time. Not only can you shoot the enemy
down but you can also lay mines for him
(or her) as well.D
ATLANTIS
Anrrc* Battle
ASTROSMASH
3605 Mattel Electronics
1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
£21,95
A cross between Space Invaders and
Asteroids, in which you control a laser
base positioned at the bottom ol the
screen* T^e aim is to shoot down all the
descending rocks and Space Spinners
along with UFOs in later rounds-
One of the better space games from
Mattel but by no means thebesian
44
IM10524 Imagic £29.95
1,1 + 1 3 variations
SCI FI SHOOT *EM UP
This is a sophisticated version ol the
highly successful VCS game of the same
name. The aim is to blast all the enemy
bombers and fighters before they fly low
enough to strike Atlantis, the city that
you are defending. You are equipped
with two missile launchers positioned at
either side of the screen, plus a sentinel
saucer in the centre that can launch and
mingle with the enemy.D
AUTO RACING
1 1 13 Mattel Electronics £21 .95
l,lvl 4 variations
DRIVING
Certainly the best of the earlier games
(this was one of the first twelve
cartridges launched over here). You are
in the driving seat of a grand prix racing
car, racing your opponent around a
scrolling track made up of roads with
buildings each side. The graphics are
excellent and the cars are not too
difficult to handle. D
B 17 BOMBER
3884 Mattel Electronics £29.95
1 6 variations
COMBAT
needs Intellivoice module £45*95
In command ot a B17 Bomber, you are
engaged in a vital mission to bomb as
many enemy ack-ack guns, runways,
installations and ships as you can. You
have no fewer than eight different
screens to choose from. The voices play
an important part in the game as they
inform you of your plane's condition as
well as warning you when there are
Bandits in sight. The graphics, sound
and gamepiay combine to make a very
challenging game.D
BACKGAMMON _
1119 Mattel Electronics £15.95
1,1 vl 1 variation
CLASSIC
Certainly a more proiessional-looking
version of the highly popular board
game than Atari managed for the VCS.
The computer plays cleverly and is quite
tnclcy to beat. The sound effect of the
rolling dice comes across quite well and
provides a nice touch. A good buy.D
BASEBALL
2614 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 vl 4 variations
SPORT
An all-American sport, but very similar
to rounders or Softball which are both
played in English primary schools. A
good job is done in translating this
genuine slice of Amencan life.D
BASKETBALL
2615 Mattel Electronics £15.95
1,1 vl 1 variation
SPORT
If you're just gelling into basketball then
this is the cartridge for you. Instead of
having just a one man team as m the
Atari game, here you have a three man
team so you can actually pass to team-
mates. These team-mates are under
computer control until they receive the
ball when the control swaps lo you.
Every time a basket is scored you get a
tremendous cheer from the crowd. A
great game if you like the sport* □
Au*>
INTELLIVISION SOFTWARE REVIEWS
Burger Time
BEAUTY AND THE
BEAST
IM10540 Imagic £31.45
1 1 variation
CLIMBING
This game rivals Intellivision 's Donkey
Kong. Bashful Buford is out to rescue his
girlfnend Tiny Mab from the villainous
clutches ol Homble Hank. To get his
loved one back he must climb the outside
of the Mutton Building, whilst avoiding
obstacles such as boulders, bate, rals
and birds. Buford can only reach the
next floor through an open window.
Once he catches Mab, he literally
'glows' with pride. An exciting game.D
BOWLING
3333 Mattel Electronics £21 .95
l,lvl 2 games
SPORT
Bowling, although a popular sport in ihe
States, hasn't much of a following over
here. Nevertheless this is a highly
commendable effort. The graphics as
well as the sound elfects are good. If you
like bowling then you'll enjoy this
cartridge. O
BOXING
1819 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 vl 4 variations
SPORT
With this particular version you select
which boxer you want out of a choice of
hall a dozen and then step out into the
ring for 15 rounds of punishment. You
can. in fact, KO your opponent which is
very satisfying indeed, hi short, the best
boxing game currently on the market. □
B URGER TIME
4549 Mattel Electronics
1 4 variations
SKILL
£29.95
u«w }
Based on the arcade game by Data
East. You play a burger chef who has
to put together four Hamburgers by
dropping the righi ingredients on top
of each other. However, you are
prevented from doing so by menacing
Hot Dogs and pickles, which you can
get rid of only by using Beef Patties
(beefburgers) or pepper as weapons.
An unusual but entertaining game.D
CARNIVAL
COL76307 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SHOOT "EM UP
The graphics in this are not up to the
standards either of the VCS or
Colecovision versions, and therefore the
cartridge is not a recommended buy.D
CHECKERS
1120 Mattel Electronics £15.95
l.lvl 1 level
CLASSIC
Although slightly better than the VCS
version, this video of the popular board
game is still not worth the pnce ot the
console and the cartridge just to play
draughts.O
CHESS
**!
3412 Mattel Electronics £29.95
l.lvl 8 levels
CLASSIC
Much the same as all the other chess
cartridges available for the other
systems. You can choose from eight
levels of play ranging from novice to
expert, or instead watch the computer
play against itself and pick up some
useful hints on how it plays. □
IM10537 Imagic £31.95
1,1 + 1 12 variations
SCI FI SHOOT *EM UP
The game play is much the same as in
the VCS version of Demon Attack, A
small laser base at the bottom oi the
screen is pitted against demons that
swoop down from the top of the screen.
However, once you've tackled each
onslaught, you encounter the enemy
ship that must be destroyed. □
DONKEY KONG
COL76257 CBS Oectronics £29.95
1,1+1 4 variations
CLIMBING
The Intellivision version of ths highly
popular arcade com-op is similar to the
Colecovision version, except for slightly
poorer graphics- The Intellivision
version has three waves, not just the two
that are featured in the VCS version. D
4
DRACULA
IM10607 Imagic £29,95
1 , 1 + 1, lvl 3 variations
ADVENTURE
If you're a fan of all those horror movies
with vampires in them then this game is
for you. You portray the Prince of
Darkness, Dracula. As Count Dracula
you can transform yourself into a bat
and change your victims into zombies
that will attack the local police who
pursue you with wooden stakes. You
must keep the Count's blood supply
topped up as he will die if you do not.
Altogether a challenging and enjoyable
game.D
DRAGONFIRE
IM10579 Imagic £29.95
1,1 + 1 3 variations
ADVENTURE SKILL
This game is split up into two separate
phases. The first is the bridge sequence
in which you must run from one side of
the screen to the other jumping and
ducking fireballs and archers' arrows. If
you succeed you then enter a black
storeroom filled with treasures, guarded
by a ferocious dragon. You must rush
around picking up all the treasures. A
challenging game, but not as difficult as
theVCSversion,D
45
INTELLIVISION SOFTWARE REVIEWS
1
FROG BOG
5301 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 vl 4 variations
CHILDREN'S SKILL
The aim of this unusual game is to make
your frog jump from the lily pad and eat
the flies in your part of the pond. You
are up against another frog which can
be either computer- or human-
controlled. A good one for young kids.D
FROGGER
941502 Parker Brothers £27.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SKILL
This is Parker's version (for Intellivision)
of their very popular VCS game
released in the autumn of 1982, based on
the arcade game by Sega. The game is
almost identical except for the absence
of the annoying flicker that occurs on the
VCS version due to its limited memory
capacity. The game play and graphics
are similar but the sound is inferior to
the VCS cartridge. D
GOLF
1816 Mattel Electronics £21.95
l.lvl 9 holes
SPORT
This varies from all the other golf video
games in that the goller never actually
moves but is stuck in the top left hand
comer of the screen- He functions to
show you how much swing you're
putting on each shot, while you guide a
little Cursor around the greens. Quite a
good game but not really an accurate
simulation of goli.D Jeremy Allen
GORF
COL76349 CBS Electronics £29.95
1,1+1 4variations
SCI FI SHOOT ™ UP
This Intellivision cartridge, which uses
a starfield background and fairly
sophisticated ships, compares
favourably with the VCS version. Not a
bad cartridge, as long as you don't
compare it with the same game on the
Coleco system. D
HORSE RACING
1123 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1, lv5 1 variation
SPORT
Here s your chance to bet as much as
you like in a race and actually jockey
the horse you bet on- The game has two
phases. The first is the 'betting shop
phase where yourself and the other
players can place bets on the colour
coded horses- Then you get a view oi
the starting gate and you're off,
galloping along the race track- A game
which provides a lot of entertainment, □
ICE HOCKEY
1114 Mattel Electronics £21.95
l.lvl 4 variations
SPORT
Not a game that gets a great deal of
attention but nevertheless a very good
cartridge if you like the sport. All the
features of the sport are on this
cartridge, including passing, goal
tending and slap shots - and you can
even foul your opponent. However, if
you are spotted then you are confined to
the 'Sin Bin' for two minutes. □
ICE TREK
IM 10582 Imagic £29.95
I 6 variations
ADVENTURE
This game is set in frozen wastes long
ago back in the age of Sword & Sorcery.
Vah the Avenger must retrieve the great
Northern lights from the Ice Castle. To
do this he must first dodge the Ice
Goddess Caribou. He must then make
an ice bridge from icebergs floating past
(by far the most infuriating phase), then
he is up against the ice castle itself. The
aim is to melt this by hitting the
battlements with fireballs. After that it's
on to the next level which is the same
only harder. A refreshingly different
game, which requires several skills.n
LOCK 'N' CHASE
5637 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
MAZE
The idea Is to manoeuvre a thief around
a maze Uttered wilh gold bars and with
bigger treasures to be found in the
centre. Chasing you are a number oi
truncheon-swinging cops whom you
must avoid at all costs. You can do this
by simply outracing them or by
slamming doors to block them off. A lot
of fun and altogether one of the belter
arcade-based games from Mattel. D
LOCO-MOTION
4438 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SKILL MAZE
In this, you have to guide your Choo
Choo train around a somewhat
scrambled railtrack. The aim is to put
the right tracks together so that the train
can safely pick up passengers and
continue its journey without crashing.
Your problems are added to by the fact
that there is a crazy train on the same
tracks. A game that requires about five
handsID
MATH FUN
2613 Mattel Dectronics £15.95
1,2 18 variations
EDUCATIONAL
This is probably one oi the most
underrated learning games around.
The object is to guide a gorilla down the
side of a nver, but every so often
another wild animal will block your
path and move only if you solve a maths
problem. If you get the sum wrong you
have to jump in the river (to avoid the
animals in your way) and encounter a
crocodile. Makes learning fun.D
MICRO SURGEON
IM10553 Imagic £31.95
1,2 9 variations
SKILL
This game involves curing a critically ill
person by probing inside his body. You
control a miniature robot which is
equipped with all the medication
required to save this patient's life. There
is also a status chart to refer back to
which shows how the patient is faring.
A game with limited appeal. D
MISSION X
ms*
4437 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1 4 variations
COMBAT
Based on an arcade game of the same
name. The object of the game Is to fly
your secret bomber over enemy territory
and bomb everything you encounter -
battleships, tanks, artillery guns,
bndges, trains - all of which will come
into view as the screen scrolls vertically.
Every so often you have to land to
refuel. Great game for all those who
enjoyed B17 Bomber.D
NIGHT STALKER
5305 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1 4 variations
MAZE SKILL
This game is a creepy version of Lock
'n' Chase. You have to run around a
maze, pick up your gun and shoot down
the killer Robot that patrols the maze
along with a giant spider and a couple
of bats. There are six shots to a gun,
after which you have to pick up another
loaded gun. As the game progresses the
Robots get faster and more lethal so you
have to be on your guard. Quite a
compelling game.D
NOVA BLAST
IM7609 Imagic £29.95
1,1+1 3variations
SCI FI SHOOT *EM UP
Compared with other systems, nowhere
near the same amount of good space
46
INTELLIVISION SOFTWARE REVIEWS
software Is available for the Inlellivision.
Of the ones that are on offer many are
rather slow and awkward to control. So
Nova Blast came as a pleasant surprise.
It is a Defender/Missile Command-type
game in which you have to pilot a
Novon Sky sweeper across the amd
terrain of your planet. The primary
objective is to prevent your four cities
from being obliterated by such nasties
as Gravitines and Astro Sailors.
Armaments consist of a forward laser
cannon, which is the fastest weapon on
any Inlellivision craft to date, as well as
bombs which are dropped on enemy
tanks in later rounds. The impressive
aspect of this game is the speed of
everything; the player, the enemy, the
laserfire and the explosions, all are well
above par for In telli vision. Imagic
deserve a pat on the back for an
excellent space game.O
PITFALL
MP002 Activision £24.95
1 1 variation
ADVENTURE
David Crane's bestseller (or VCS is now
available on Inlellivision format (see
VCS review). Well worth a try.D
POKER &
BLACKJACK
261 1 Mattel Electronics £15.95
1,2 1 variation
CLASSIC
It you're a gambling person but there
aren't too many casinos near where you
live then do try this cartridge.
In both games. Poker and Blackjack,
there is a Las Vegas-style dealer
complete with tinted visor and stripey
shirt. Sitting at the top of the screen and
dealing out the cards, he smiles if you
lose and frowns if you beat him. Very
entertaining. D
REVERSI
5304 Mattel Electronics £15.95
l f lvl 1 variation
CLASSIC
Reversi is a 1 9th century game of
strategy arid dominance. Basically it is
very similar to the game Othello. An
interesting game but not really exciting
video game material. D
ROYAL DEALER
5303 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1 4 variations
CLASSIC
This cartridge provides computer
controlled opponents able to play
Shark! Shark!
Hearts, Rummy, Gin Rummy or Crazy
Eights, and you can choose whether
you want one, two or three players
against you. The graphics used in the
cartridge are pretty good-D
ROULETTE
1118 Mattel Electronics
1 , lvl 1 variation
CLASSIC
£15.95
Good (un for anyone who likes to
gamble. The board is quile realistic, but
unfortunately the roulette wheel itself is
just a ship at the top of the screen. D
SEA BATTLE
1818 Mattel Electronics £21.95
lvl 4 variations
COMBAT
Still one of the best battle games
available from Mattel, as the game is
simple to understand yet the control is
quite complex to master. You have at
your disposal an entire fleet, whose task
it is to occupy the enemy's island on the
other side of the ocean. The fleet
contains ships with different strengths
and varied firepower and you also have
sea mines that you can place at
strategic points on the map.D
SHARP SHOT
w»'-
5638 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SHOOT 'EM UP
Not one, but four different shooting type
games on one cartridge which is quite
unusual for Mattel. All are basically
simplified versions of some of their more
popular games. One is based on Sea
Battle, one on US Football, one on
Space Battle and one on Cloudy
Mountain, but all are a lot easier as they
are designed for younger gamers. □
*
SHARK! SHARK!
5787 Mattel Electronics £22.95
1,2 2 games
SKILL
Tired of being a space buccaneer i*
Fancy being something different for a
change? Well, here's your chance to be
a goldfish; that's nght - a goldfish- You
have to be a pretty quick goldfish too,
otherwise you'll end up as shark snack*
The idea is to swim around avoiding fish
bigger than yourself while you eat up all
the smaller fry. After you have
swallowed a quantity of smaller fish you
get larger, as does the range of fish you
can eat. If you're feeling a bit daring,
you can try and nibble the shark's tail -
but be careful. II he turns round and
bites you then you lose a life, and return
to your original size. Once all your lives
have been used up, the game ends and
you get to hear a very pleasant tune.
If you are a bit fed up with space
cartridges then this enjoyable, skilful
game, which takes you into inner rather
than outer space, is one lor you.D
SKIING
1817 Mattel Electronics £21,95
l ( lvl 4 variations
SPORT
One of the better skiing video games
available at the moment. The idea is to
complete the slope, through all the
slalom gates to the finishing posts at the
bottom of the hill. As with nearly all
Mattel's sports games you receive
rapturous acclaim at the end.D
47
INTELLIVISION SOFTWARE REVIEWS
SNAFU
3758 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,2 8 variations
SKILL
This Is Mattel's answer to Atari's
Surround and compares very
favourably. For a start, instead of the
boring sound effects of Surround, Snafu
gives you catchy little tunes. Although
the game Is basically the same, Mattel
have made a much more professional
job of Snafu. A great family game.D
SPACE SHUTTLE g&N STAMPEDE
SOCCER
1683 Mattel Electronics £21.95
lvl 4 variations
SPORT
A game that usually comes with the
Intelhvislon, Soccer certainly beats
Alan's cartridge of the same name. It
has all the features of an In telh vision
sports game including gratifying
cheers when goals are scored. D
SPACE ARMADA
3759 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SCI Fl SHOOT 'EM UP
Mattel's attempt at Space Invaders can't
compete with Atari's bestseller as the
disc is not as good as a joystick for
games like this. The Invaders also look
too chunky and move slowly (to
compensate for the slow control). Pretty
forgettable. □
SPACE BATTLE
1817 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1 5 variations
SPACE SHOOT 'EM UP
The Urst space game for Intellivision and
still one of the best. A cousin to the Star
Raiders family it comprises a Galactic
Chart and a battle phase. You are given
three squadrons. Blue, White and Gold,
each consisting of three fighters which
you must deploy so that they can
intercept the aliens in their Cylon-like
spacecraft. Worth saving up (or.D
SPACE HAWK
5136 Mattel Electronics £21 .95
1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
A space game with a rather original
concept. Alone in space with no Space-
ship, just a jet pack and a gas blaster,
you are under attack from multi-
coloured gas bubbles that will cost you
your life if you are struck by one. You
can of course blast them, zoom out of
their way or. if things are really tough,
go into hyperspace. Every so often a
Space Hawk will appear who has to be
shot three times to be killed, □
4162 Mattel Electronics £28.95
1 5 variations
SCI FI SKILL
requires Intellivoice Module price
£49.95
If you've ever watched space shuttle
launches on television have you ever
thought to yourself That doesn't look so
hard? Mattel have and now they've
brought out an official Space Shuttle
cartridge using their Intellivoice
component. You have to pilot a shuttle
mission up into orbit where you repair
satellites, refuel and other such tasks.
There are three different voices on this
game; mission controls and your two
Co-Pilots' who keep you informed of
developments during the flight. As with
B17 Bomber, you are given all the
relevant views of the surrounding space
and the shuttle, including the cockpit
and the cargo bay. A good space game
for players who are a little tired of just
shooting thousands of aliens and saving
the universe every time they slot m a
cartridge- □
: ;-: ^ ;■! j*tl-
SPACE SPARTANS
3416 Mattel Electronics £29.95
1 5 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
needs Intellivoice module £45.95
This game is a high-tech version of
Activision s Starmaster. with the added
appeal of voice as well as superior
graphics. You are given a Galactic
Chart and a battle view at the
beginning of the game and once you
have positioned your Starbases you are
fed information from the computer on
board*
A female computer keeps you
informed of your ship's state of repair. A
male computer informs you of the
number of Alien ships in each sector. A
third 'robot' voice lets you know how
your Starbases are. This game is a must
for Intellivision Space gamers, □
MP001 Activision £24.95
1 1 variation
SKILL
This is Activision s iirsi In telli vision-
compatible video game. Similar to the
VCS game of the same name (see
separate review), D
STAR STRIKE
1323 Mattel Electronics
1 6 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
£21.95
This game closely resembles the trench
scene irom the film Star Wars. The aim
of the game is to shoot down as many
enemy fighters as you can whilst you
bomb the five missile silos below you.
When you do, the enemy Death Star
disintegrates and you are given a fan-
fare. This is certainly a cartridge to get if
you fancy yourself as Luke Skywalker.Q
SUB HUNT
3408 Mattel Electronics £21.95
I 4 variations
COMBAT SHOOT 'EM UP
Designed as the follow-up to Sea Battle,
this includes several of the popular
features used m the first game including
the world map. The enemy hurls depth
charges at you so you must use speed
and depth to win.D
IM 10566 Imagic £29.95
1,2 3 variations
ADVENTURE
A game closely based on Dungeons &
Dragons, set in a series of dungeons full
of treasures and vanous nasties such as
dragons and black knights. With control
of the white knight, its your task to pick
up as much treasure as you can while
trying to escape from the dungeon and
defeating everyone in your path- You do
receive some help from the wizard. He
weaves magical spells to protect you if
you can manage to guard him lor the
length of time it takes him to find spells* D
TENNIS
1814 Mattel Electronics £21.95
l,lvl 4 variations
SPORT
Mattel show their expertise in producing
video sport games with this version of
Tennis. The cartridge is surprisingly
realistic and follows all the rules of the
actual game- Younger players can't
handle the rather intricate controls.D
INTELLIVISION SOFTWARE REVIEWS
'
TRIPLE ACTION
3760 Mattel Electronics £21.95
l.lvl 8 variations
COMBAT/SKILL
intelli vision's answer to Atari's Combat.
Includes tank and bi-plane games as
well as a racing car game that Is
reminiscent of Atan's Street Racer. The
bi-plane game is probably the best on a
generally above-average cartridge.
Pretty good value for money if you like
the subject matter. □
TRON DEADLY DISCS
5391 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1 4 variations
MOVIE TIE-IN
This is the first in the Inlogy of Tron s
cartridges based on Wall Disney's him.
Beginning with a little red Tron figure
in the centre of a game grid, a series of
three doors open and three Blue
Wamors run out, throwing their discs at
Tron who must avoid them and use his
own to retaliate- After this, another
wave of warriors appear. While this is
happening, you're trying to block the
doorways, either by running into them
or throwing your disc at them* Once you
have blocked two on opposite sides of
the screen you can have a wraparound
escape route rather as in Pac-Man. If
you knock out too many doors, a
Recogniser will come to fix them.
However, if you manage to wound him
while he is mending a door you can
send him lurching off the screen, sparks
flying, A game with wide appeal. D
Tron Deadly Discs
TRON - MAZE
A TRON
5392 Mattel Electronics £25.95
1 4 variations
MOVIE TIE-IN ADVENTURE
Probably the poorest of the three Tron
games available. The game is set on a
series of four scrolling circuit boards
along which you have to run until you
find the one with your targe! - the MCP
(Master Control Program). As this relies
on luck rather than skill, which means
that even a veteran can be stumped, the
game can be infuriating. D
TRON SOLAR SAILER
5893 Mattel Electronics £29.95
1 single game
ADVENTURE MOVIE TIE-IN
needs Intellivoice module £45.95
The third and easily the best of the Tron
games available. As it needs an
Intellivoice, it works out to be fairly
costly. This game depicts the final scene
in the film where Tron, his girlfriend Yon
and 'User' Flynn steal the prototype craft
Solar Sailer that is propelled by light
beams in the sky. They steal it in order
to cross the Sea of Simulation to reach
and destroy the MCP (Master Control
Program). In the game you are
equipped with a code to use against the
MCP but to reach it you have to
negotiate a hazardous journey first of
all. If you're going to buy a Tron game,
then get this one.D
TROPICAL TROUBLE
IM7605 Imagic £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SKILL
«*»'■
This is the sequel to Beauty And The
Beast, It features all the same characters
and, as before, you play Bashful Buford
who is after Horrible Hank - he's the one
who has pinched your girlfriend.
Perhaps Buford ought to consider
finding himself a new girlfriend, one
who isn't so much trouble. This time
she's been taken to an island and Buford
must battle his way through several
different scenes, dodging obstacles in
an attempt to get back his girl. You
begin by avoiding rolling boulders and
go on to dodge lava splats and other
such nasties until you reach the bridge
at the far side of the island. This you
must cross in order to push Hank into the
water,
A far better game than Beauty And
The Beast because it has a more original
storyline: the former looked a little too
much like Donkey Kong.f]
Tropical Trouble
U.S. FOOTBALL
2610 Mattel Electronics £15.95
l.lvl 2 variations
SPORT
This cartridge may well become
pDpuiar with the recent interest in
American football that has been
sparked off by the Channel Four
coverage. There are 180 offensive and
defensive plays and you can pass, punt
and even fake. D
UTOPIA
5149 Mattel Electronics £21.95
1,2 single game
ADVENTURE
In this game you are the ruler of the
island paradise Utopia, You have the
job of organising your people's
requirements, such as food, crop
growing, clothing, jobs and shelter, as
well as protecting the islanders from
infiltrators.
If this sounds like the sorl of game for
you, bear in mind that one game can
last all day, literally. D
VECTRON
5788 Mattel Electronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
One of Mattel's most colourful space
games, in which your task is to use your
droid Vectron. to build laser bases and
destroy enemies such as the Hungrees
and G-spheres. Careful tactics are
needed to win at this fast moving space
game.D
WINTER OLYMPICS
4552 Mattel Electronics E25.95
l.lvl 2 variations
SPORT
Licenced to be the official video game
for the 1984 Winter Olympics in
Sarajevo around Chnstmas time. It
features two events. Ski Jumping and
Bobsleigh Running, which you must win
in order to take the gold medal home. D
WIZARD OF WOR
COL76356 CBS eectronics £29.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
MAZE SHOOT 'EM UP
Good quality graphics and sound
(being slightly better than the VCS
version) but a little sluggish in terms of
control. The disc isn't ideal for the sort of
manoeuvring needed to succeed in this
maze game.D
WORD FUN
1122 Mattel Electronics £15.95
1,1 + 1 4 variations
EDUCATIONAL
Along the same lines as Math Fun, this
game is set in a Jungle. You control a
gorilla who has to pick up letters from
the palm trees and make up words with
them.D
49
VECTREX SYSTEM REVIEW
J
A new system with genuine arcade graphics and sound
MB's Vectrex
Available; now
Price: £150
MB's Vectrex is the latest and some
say the greatest video game system
produced to date. What makes it so
different from the rest is that it's not so
much a video game system as a
home arcade system.
So what exactly is a Vectrex? Well,
it is a small, upright, mall black con-
sole with a built-in nine inch vertical
screen and a fold-away controller.
The screen is not like a conventional
TV screen at all. To begin with", it's
longer and narrower m shape and in
addition, it obtains pictures using a
process called Vectorscan.
There are several advantages in
having a built-in screen. One is that
the internal computer (the heart ol
any video games machine) can 'talk'
to the screen direct, so the picture
quality will be better as a result.
Another is that you are free to use
various ways of making graphics to
give a better overall result.
Conventional television screens
are capable only of producing what
are known as Rasterscan graphics.
These are achieved by plotting little
squares, or 'pixels' onto the horizon-
tal lines of the television screen. With
Vectorscan graphics, points are
plotted from the centre of the screen
and joined together directly by points
of light called Vector-Beams. A con-
ventional TV screen changes the
picture only 50 times a second, which
is perfectly adequate for normal TV
viewing but is in fact quite slow by
computer standards and certainly
not up to arcade speed.
With the Vectorscan process, diag-
onal lines can be achieved far more
easily than with any rival system.
It can also produce a 3D effect, for
example space station spinning.
However, there are two drawbacks
with Vectorscan graphics and the
Vectrex screen. The first is that it is
black and white, with colour intro-
duced by means of tinted colour
overlays that fit snugly over the
**-
\ I
So many of you didn't
like cutting up your
copy last time, weVe
decided to put all the
competition entry
forms together on
page 63.
Here's another chance to win your own
Vectrex, the superb new home-arcade game
from MB Games. We would like to give it to
somebody who really wants it, and will give it
a proper home. So here are a few questions to
test your knowledge. After all, it you really
want to win one, you've no doubt found out all
you can about it, haven't you?
Here then are a few questions to see if
youVe been paying attention.
1 Which game do you get free with the
console
a Star Wars
b Minestorm
c Rip Off
2 Does the free game come:
a In a separate box
b As a cartridge, packed in the same
box as the console *
c Actually built into the Vectrex
3 In what way does the Vectrex form the
pictures on its screen
a Like any ordinary TV
b Special Rasterscan graphics
c Vectorscan graphics
4 Where does the controller fit when the
Vectrex is packed away for the night
a Into a special drawer
b Hangs up atthe back
c Clips into a space under the screen
Pair up the descriptions with the features on
the owner's eye view of the Vectrex console.
Not as easy as it sounds! There's one feature
listed here that doesnt actually exist -
you've just got to decide which it is.
5 Cartridge slot.
6 Second controller socket.
7 Volume control.
8 Reset game button.
9 Loudspeaker.
10 First controller's socket.
11 On-Off switch
12 Socket for voice accessory.
The Rules
1 The prize will be awarded to the entrant who correctly
answers the five questions above and, in the Editor's opinion,
gives the best answer to the tie-breaker details of which are
on page 63.
2 Entries are welcome from any country, but the prize is to
UK voltage (240v AC) and servicing cannot be guaranteed
outside the British Isles.
3 Entries must be received by November 30th, 1963.
Winners will be advised by post and their names will be
announced in the spring issue of TV Gamer,
5 Entries will only be accepted on forms cut from TV Gamer.
Photocopies are not acceptable.
VECTREX SYSTEM REVIEW
screen. Also circles can't be drawn,
but instead have to be constructed
with many small lines.
As well as the Vectrex graphics
being of arcade quality, the sounds
are too. The sound chip used is the
same one used in many of the coin-
ops. Being different from the other
home systems in the ways described
has enabled Vectrex to obtain many
arcade licences - not only for most of
the coin-op Vector games but some
TV-type games as well that are
already out in home Rasterscan for-
mat such as Berzerk.
Another important aspect of any
games system is the controller. The
Vectrex controller comprises ar. 3-
position, sell-centring joystick and an
arcade-type action button, both of
which can be programmed to do dif-
ferent things according to which
game is being played. Both the joy-
stick and the action button are highly
responsive. There is a socket to take a
second controller, which is some-
times needed for two-player games
(these are indicated in the software
review section). This costs around
£25.00,
The Vectrex is no less impressive
inside. Its internal memory capacity
is a staggenng 64k RAM, which is
bigger than any other unexpanded
system on the market. Programmed
into the memory is a game called
Minestorm, which is reviewed in the
software section. In addition to these
and the sound chip mentioned
earlier, there is also a built-in voice
synthesis circuit so that when voice
games become available there'll be
no costly voice adaptor to buy in
^i SPACE WAR Si ►
addition. Spike will be the first game
to use this voice capability.
The future, too, holds some exciting
new developments for this powerful
system. The first of these is a light-pen
with which you can draw on the
screen, and which will become in-
corporated in games. A computer
keyboard is also being developed . as
well as a Word Processing package
for the business- minded. For the
gamer there will be the world's first
genuine 3D video game that does not
use the screen. Instead, the picture
(or pictures, as you need two for 3D)
are fed direct to a futuristic helmet
that you have to wear to play.
In short, the Vectrex is a powerful,
self-contained system that will not
only free the family television from
gaming but is also portable enough
for you to take round to a friend's
house or indeed anywhere where
there is a mains socket handy. It's the
idea! system for Space gamers but
not for fans of 'cute games' which
have curved characters like Pac-
Man or Donkey Kong. Nevertheless a
great system with some exciting
possibilities ahead.
VECTREX SOFTWARE REVIEWS
ARMOR ATTACK^ 7
8124 MB Electronics £19.95
1,2 2 variations
COMBAT SHOOT 'EM UP
This is basically the Vectrex answer to
Atari's Combat cartridge although it's
been updated lor the 80s, The enemy
has overrun your city, mas! o! your army
has been slain, and you're alone in an
armoured jeep equipped with missiles.
The enemy lanks and hehcoptere have
been alerted to your position and are on
their way in groups of two, three, or
more, with guns blazing. The two player
version, which needs an additional C25
controller available from Vectrex
stockists, is even better. In this you are
pitted against the tanks and 'copters as
a two man team with two jeeps, A must
for all those who enjoyed playing Atan
Combat, D
B ERZERK
8123 MB Electronics £19,95
1,1 + 1 1 variation
MAZE SHOOT 'EM UP
Already a highly popular arcade game
by Stem electronics, and a popular VCS
game by Atan, MB now hope to create
another bestseller with the Vectrex
version. The idea is to blast your way
through a mare full ot robots before Evil
Otto, a menacing -looking beach ball,
bounces you to death, lake Scramble,
Berzerk translates surpnsingly well from
being a Rasterscan game with the
exception of Evil Otto, who doesn't quite
look nght being made up of straight
lines. Despite this minor quibble the
game itself is highly enjoyable and it
should please all fans of the arcade
game who were a little disappointed
with the VCS version, D
BLITZ
8131 MB Electronics £19.95 ,
1,2 2 variations
SPORT
This is the lust sports game to come from
the programmers at Vectrex, A,
simulation of American football, it needs
an additional £25 controller for two
player variations- A rather
disappointing simulation as the two
teams are represented by 'X's and O's,
not by actual figures. If you're not a US
Football addict, this game won't really
appeal, but all fans will find it pleasing.
The cartndge features an extremely
challenging one player version. □
8122 MB Electronics £19.95
l f l + l 2 variations
MAZE
One of the main disadvantages of the
Vectrex is the fact that Pac-Man type
maze games are very tricky to bring off
using Vectorecan graphics, winch is
why arcade hits like Pac-Man and
Donkey Kong use Raster graphics.
However, Clean Sweep sets out to break
this tradition- The maze is set inside a
bank vault and you're a vacuum
cleaner sucking up all the money
scattered around the vault. As you can t
suck it all up in one go, you have to
unload every so often in the centre of the
screen. Vicious Pincers come after you
but you can fight back at them by going
into one of the energy rooms positioned
in each comer,
A fairly successful attempt at a maze
game using Vector graphics, the first of
its kind in fact, either in the home or
arcade. D
on Sweep
5£
COSMIC CHAS M
8126 MB Electronics £19.95
U + 1 1 variation
SCI FI ADVENTURE
Th» ob)ect of this game is to blow up as
many planets as you can before you
lose all five of your lives. You are first
confronted with a map of the interior of
the planel, showing all the underground
tunnels and rooms leading to the central
core. You must reach this core and
destroy it with a bomb in order to go on
to the next planet. You only see this map
for three seconds so you must be quick
to plot the most direct route, otherwise
you wont make it back before the bomb
explodes. In each of the rooms leading
to the core is an expanding centre which
gets bigger the longer you take passing
through. You are also faced with a
group ol drones hellbent on your
destruction. This is certainly one ot the
most challenging and exciting Vectrex
space games around. □
53
VECTREX SOFTWARE REVIEW
Ccfimlc Chasm
HYPERCHASE
8128 MB Electronics
1,1 + 1 2 variations
DRIVING
3£
£19.95
Hyperchase is the Vecttex equivalent to
Atari's Night Driver and Coleco's Turbo.
You are in the driving seat of a racing-
car, pitted against winding roads and
other cars. The only real problem with
this game to start with is the over-
responsiveness ol the joystick, which
only needs the most delicate ol twiddles
to send the car across to the other side of
the road, As with Turbo the scene
changes throughout the game. As the
angle of the road alters too, steenng
requires skill. Some nice graphic
touches are used and the sound ettects
of third and fourth gear are quite
convincing. On the whole an absorbing
game, although Vector graphics are less
realistic than Raster graphics on car
games. D
MINESTORM
MB Electronics included in console
1,1 + 1 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
This is the game built tn to the Veclrex
console and is very similar to the arcade
version ol Asteroids. Your ship starts off
in the centre of the screen and your task
is to destroy a number of objects that are
bombarding you. The control is much
ihe same as the arcade version except
that a joystick replaces the rotate
buttons. Each time you clear one sheet
of mines, you are sent to the next, with
the mines increasing in number and
difficulty. Great skill is needed to get
beyond level seven or so. Both
challenging and impressive to look at,
this is to date probably the best game to
come with a console. A game that
should have long lasting appeal. D
RIP OFF
8129 MB Electronics £19.95
1,2 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT *EM UP
Another com-op translation, but one of
the better ones. You are guarding a
clustei ol valuables that the local space
pirates want desperately and will stop at
nothing to obtain. The pirates will sneak
in. pick one up and try to sneak oil with
it and then come back for more. You
don't lose lives as such, but the game
ends when all the containers have been
swiped. A nice fast game with good
graphics and sound but it doesn't have
quite the same appeal as Scramble or
Cosmic Chasm. D
SCRAMBLE
3£
8129 MB Electronics £19.95
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
Named as the best Mini Arcade
Videogame cartridge ol 1982 by the US
Electronic Games Magazine, Scramble
is a faithful reproduction of the popular
arcade game of the same name. It
differs only in being a Vectorscan t
rather than a Rasterscan, game.
The aim is to shoot and bomb as
many missiles* fuel tanks and camps as
possible whilst you are on your way to
the enemy HO- There are five different
phases to complete before you reach it,
all posing very different problems-
Destroying the HO is by no means easy
but can be done if you're skilful. This is
by far the best game in this category
around at the moment and it is the first
cartridge you should buy if you're
getting or already have a Vectrex.D
SOLAR QUEST£^
8121 MB Electronics £19.95
1,1 + 1 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
A space game which, refreshingly,
involves a lot more than simply shooting
everything in sight. Set in space, with a
sun in the centre which can destroy you
on impact, you control a highly
responsive Starfighter with which you
must destroy all enemy craft. Once you
destroy an enemy ship a small hie pod
remains. Picking this up is a great boost
for your score. Your task is made more
difficult by the fact that the pods drift
54
VECTREX SOFTWARE REVIEW
helplessly towards ihe sun, plus the fact
that there are other baddies !o avoid.
Success requires complete mastery of
the controls of your craft, as skilful
manoeuvnng can mean the difference
between life and death. Certainly one of
the better space games available for the
Vectrex.D
SPACE WARS
8130 MB Electronics £19.95
1,2 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
Despite the name this game actually
came out before Star Wars was even
wntten. It started out life as a Mainframe
computer game back in the mid 60s and
was later turned into a coin-op by
Cinematronics in 1975- The basic idea is
very simple - you have to shoot down
ten of your opponent s ships before he
does the same to you* Added excitement
comes from the (act that you and your
opponent are given limited fuel and
laser fire, so by getting your opponent to
chase after you firing as he goes, you'll
be at a distinct advantage, as he's likely
to run out of ammo or fuel before you
do. Even if you don't manage to hit your
opponent s ship iair and square, a
glancing shot can cripple and slow it
down, making it an easier target.
Space Wars is, in addition, among the
most challenging one player games
available on a home system* The
computer adversary is quite intelligent
and knows all the tricks in the book. For
two players, the game requires a
second controller costing about £25,00,
Altogether a challenging, inlunating but
highly enjoyable game and an excellent
addition to any Space gamers library. □
coincident ally) reminiscent ot those in
the Death Star trench scene in the him
Star Wars, so this game will not only
appeal to Space gamers who don'! want
to use their brains overmuch, but also to
budding Luke Skywalkers and other
Star Wars Ions, □
STAR TREK
THE GAME
STARHAWK
8127 MB Electronics £19,95
1,2 1 variation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
If you're one of those people whp still
like a good old fashioned shcot em up
but find adventure games too much like
hard work, then this is the game for you.
You don't have to worry about
destroying the wrong ship, you just
blow up everything In sight. Neither do
you have to worry about getting blown
up, because you can't! The game is
played on a timed basis, beginning v
60 seconds playtime which gets
extended by 20 seconds for every 10,000
points scored- You control a cursor
around the screen with the joystick, and
button number four controls the finng.
The setting and shapes of some of the
ships in this game are (quite
8125 MB Electronics £19.95
1,1 + 1 lvariation
SCI FI SHOOT 'EM UP
MB's answer to Star Raiders should
really appeal to all TrekJaes as it is
loosely based on the immensely popular
Star Trek film and television senes- You
assume the role of Captain Kirk (or
Scotty if you prefer). Your task is to travel
in the starship Enterpnse through seven
sectors of a galaxy In order to reach the
Klingon mother ship which can only be
destroyed by a single precise hit. En
route you encounter a continuous
pummelling from the Klingons and the
Romulans. who are out to deplete your
energy and laser supplies and by so
doing eventually destroy the Enterpnse,
Help is at hand, though, in the shape of
a friendly Star Fleet space station
where you can dock to replenish
supplies. There is also a Black Hale
which serves as a short cut to sector
seven. The graphics are very good as is
the 3D' effect of the rotating space
station and the debris of the Alien craft.
This is definitely among the most
addictive of the Vectrex space games
available so lax , Q
1-eH; Scramble Righl: Star Hawk
55
The Supercharger from Starpath.
A new accessory from the States that
gives the VCS better graphics and the ability
to play games from cassette tapes.
Once upon a lime, video games were
video games and computers were
computers, and it was quite easy to tell
them apart. Computers had keyboards
while video games had controllers, for
instance. Then again, video games
worked from cartridges, while
computers worked from tape cassettes
(which were slow) or direct from the
keyboard (which was even slower)
Most of this is now changing. Some •
computers now use cartridges and
controllers to play games. And
computer keyboards are promised to
fit each of the systems covered in TV
Game i
By upgrading the VCS to use more
memory and to work from tape
cartridges the Supercharger closes the
gap still further.
What is the Supercharger?
It looks a bit like an over-sized
cartridge with a lead coming from it.
The Supercharger plugs into the
cartridge socket of a VCS and the lead
plugs into the earphone socket of any
audio cassette player. From then on,
you just follow the instructions on the
screen.
Inside the charger is 6k of Random
Access Memory, which is initially
blank, and 4k of Read Only Memory,
which is programmed with instructions
for the picture and sound creation
Starpath claim that these routines give
superior picture quality compared to
those originally built into the VCS.
We've no way of electronically testing
this claim but it can be confirmed that
the picture certainly looks better anc^
in many Supercharger games, there
does seem to be more going on
simultaneously than there is in the
traditional cartridge games.
But back to that blank 6k RAM.
Having plugged the Supercharger into
the VCS and switched everything on,
the screen shows a starfield effect and
instructions to 'Rewind Tape' and
'Press Play' Do so and the screen goes
blank for a second or so, then blue
bands appear at either side of the
screen, accompanied by a musical
note. Every second or so, the blue
bands widen and the note goes a little
higher, so you don't even have to watch
the screen to know what's going on.
When the bands widen so that they
meet in the middle of the screen -
about 25 to 30 seconds - the display
changes back to the starfield, with the
instruction 'Stop Tape'. The 6k RAM is
now filled with the program from the
tape, and to the VCS it's just like any
ordinary cartridge, though a rather
cleverer one than usual. Once it's
loaded, the program will stay in the
Supercharger until you switch it off. and
you can reset as often as you like
without reloading.
Screen display
As well as being somewhat better
graphically, several of the games made
for the Supercharger have another
feature seen only rarely on video
games - words as well as pictures.
There is a line at the foot of the screen
reserved for 'command messages'.
Sometimes these tell you about damage
to your space ship (as on Phaser Patrol)
sometimes they offer a choice of
options (Dragonstomper). You get the
Phaser Patrol
w±.
^ *
!&*■
£/
Phaser Patrol
Fireball
usual full colour video game, v
he words are used to di£
r attention to Things you t i ave
missed, they axe not a substitute to
^. as in some cheap computer
game:
Main Load games
: is feature is n^v; to video carries, and
:> the SuiKrcharger. :n some
such as idventures. 'here
be a constant change of
to prevent interest from
1 most games don't have
it memory to achieve this The
d adopted by the Supercharger
>ad only the first phase of a
ited game. You play this, then
oad the next part, play that and so
:cape From The Mindmaster has
.'ian four such stages, each the
equal of most game cartridges
The Supercharger crimes complete
negam* eassar lser Patrol,
ne bes' sn ice cartridges TV
Samer has seen.
he above games arc ewed in
the Atari software section
Killer Satellites
INCREASE THE PLAYING POWER
OF YOUR ATARI 2600 VCS
THE NEXT DIMENSION IN VIDEO GAMES
WHAT IS THE SUPERCHARG ER ?
The Supercharger plugs directly into the cartridge *iot of your Atari VCS to increase its game
p»av*ng power With special digital eliKtronics. n multiplies the VCS RAW memory by 49
timet, from 128 to 6273 byte*- The Supercharger it unique, m that It can accept programs
that have been recorded on standard audio cassette tape* Theme ere eeticr and lest e*pensive
to develop and market than p'ug-m cartridge* end cost considerably lest' The Supercharger
it supplied with a standard cable and jack plug which will plug into the earphone socket of
any domestic cassette tape recorder. Supercharger lett you play games with high resolution
graphics, faster action, and far more complexity . With the itflnj memory provided by the Supercharger you will now be
able to play tupenor games which couldnot normally run onanunadapted Atari VCSbecauie of its memory limitations
MULTI LOAD GAMES - For added complexity and depth
Cassette tape allows Sterpath to offer unique Multi Load games Games like
Dragonstomper and Escape from the Mindmasier mcfude several loach* on
one cassette. When you have finished the fust pan of a game, you can then
toad another program giving a different screen or type of game play, thus
continuing the game in several distinct parts. This feature is particularly
useful m adventure type games. Multi Load games offer complexity and
depth that no conventional ROM cartridge game can cutrstntiy compete with
FREE CASSETTE - Phaser Patrol (Two screen game)
The Supercharger comes with a highly acclaimed and award winning Phaser
Patrol game, and costs only £39.00 including VAT
Details of aH the games arc given below. For further
details, complete and return the coupon below
PHASER PATROL (FREEH
Phaser Patrol is a single foed game which *s FREE with
the Supercharger unit, A space game, it has two screens,
one featuring the intergalacuc battlefield, Ibelow left),
and the other showing a Sector Map (below right I The
game begins when the devious 'Dracons* launch a surprise
atiack and you belong to the force which mutt prevent
them from reaching earth The sector map enables you to
warp*hop from one sector to another and it also tell* vou
in what areas the Drecon ships are, so you will need to
refer to it before you go into battle As well as telling you
the location of the Dracont, the map thows you where
your starbases an*, these can bail you out if you get into
any trouble When you have decided on the sector of
Dracons to attack .you can go on to the second screen, the
battlefield On this screen you have a view of the vast
gaiety ahead and a control panel to
keep you informed of your position.
A one player game, Phaser Patrol is a
highly detailed action packed caswtte
:iwl
fp
MUTANTS FRO M SPACE
Smgle Load action from Starpath. just
as soon as you begin this game you
will be under attack. Vour task is to
vapour ire the mutant wamort before
they overrun your home planet Up
to four can play and the screen keeps
track of the highest score As wall as
having nine difficulty level* and two
*oeflCh, Communist Mutants from
Space iifs full title), hat got several
features which make it an exciting
game cassette providing a variety of
options. The real skill m this game
however, is winning without using
the special features that it offers you'
Prlce:£ 14.30+ VAT =£1645
V f A
:m.
SUICIDE M ISSION
Your mission m this game is to shrink
down, smaller than a speck of dust,
to do battle with a deadly killer virus
deep within a human body Equipped
with a microscopic submarine, head
for an infection, perilously close to
the heart, and towarcfc a fight where
you are heavily outnumbered. This is
arterial warfare at it's finest. Fins at
one of the many germs, and it divides
into two. Fire again and the numbers
increase once more, A 1 or 2 player
game featuring protective ihields and
two different shooting ttyles. Suicide
fyltstion has three difficulty options
Price;£14.30+VAT=£16.45
FIREBALL
Vou are a juggler, and able to juggle
anything from china plates to daggers'
Your task in this Single Load game is
to smash wall after wail of blocks as
you juggle with red hot FIREBALLS*
When the ball comes down from the
top of your screen, catch it, end then
release it back at the wall of block*
You can score up to a million points!
And. If you get to proficient at one
pattern of blocks, there are another
four to choose from! Up to 4 players
can take part in this game and up to
G fireballs can appear on rhe screen at
once. Be sure you don't gat burned*
Price :£14.30+VAT = £16.45
DR AGONSTQMP ER
Dragonstomper it one of Starpeths
Multi-Load cassettes. An adventure
game, you've been swept through a
time tunnel, right back to the age of
warlocks and wizardry Vour mission
li to find the Amulet of the Druids,
There are clues, but not ail easy ones.
There are peaceful lakes and forests
as well as deadly perils and lurking
somewhere is a very vengeful dragon
There are many rewards along the
way, but few will reach the final goal
The MULTI LOAD feature gives you
THREE seperate game segments, for
lonqer more challenging game play.
Prtce;£16.91 + VAT = £19.45
!-Ui?l
klLUJR
W
■Wi-
KILLER SATELLITES
vnij i[t- the Ml) i-v ^lot Si fin firr
rocket ship that can protect the earth
from an alien attack of molten metal
The invasion has started, have you
the courage and % kill to save mankind?
A Single Load game, Kitter Satellites
ii for \ player featuring 2 difficulty
settings as well as a Vapid fire* mode.
Other features include a fuel level
indicator, a taser overheat monitor
which indicates the temperature of
your gun; a giobet radar scanner and
an energy barrier, which can be used
to protect you from some of the alien
projectiles , .but not all of theml
Price;£14.30+VAT = £16.45
<
ESCAPE/MINDMASTER
A Mu-n-Load cassette, your task m
this game it to escape from the alien
MindmasterH laboratory where he
has held you as a specimen for study
To win you* freedom, you must pass
through t(K 3-0 mares, with each of
them being more comple* than the
last. The first 5 mazes have problems
to solve and some surprise intelligence
tests The sixth mare is tomething
special! As this game is too complex
to load into your Atari at one time, it
loads in POUR different sections, a
feature of the einra play power of
the Starpath MULTI LOAD cassettes
Price:£l691 + VAT = £i9,45
VIDEO GAME CLUBI FREE LITERATURE
In a fast moving market like video games, it is difficult to keep up to date with all the
developments that take place. With new programmes and accessories being introduced at
a fast rate by several different manufacturers, it is impossible to get all the information
vou require from one manufacturer alone. It is for this reason, that we have set up
owners dubs for the more popular video games and home computers, to keep you fully
up to dale with what it going on with your particular machine As far as we know, Silica
Shop are the only company to Offer such clubs, but thai is not surprising unce we are
the specialists. We currently have FREE dubs tor the Aten VCS, Atari 400/800 home
computers, and Mattel I nteluvision , Soon we will have clubs for Coletoveuon. AQuauut
and VectreVt So if you own one of these machines, fill m the coupon opposite, and we
will enrol you FREE OF CHARGE m the dub relevant to your computer or videogame
FREE LITERATURE - Please send me your FREE LITERATURE and
catalogues on the following items:
OWNERS C LUB - I already own the following products, please enrol
me in your FREE dun
01-309 1111
lull
''iimi'ii
HI".
II!"
>ml
■n
'«
mi
'mini' 1 'Mill' 'iillli miiiii
SILICA SHOP LIMITED. Dept STGA 0983,
1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road. Sidcup. Kent. DA14 4DX
Telephone: 01-309 111. or 01 301 1111
mill
Mr/Mrs/Miss Mitiats . Surname
Address. »»
»rttttfttt»
-**•*••*•»** "< *•■■ "" »'♦♦ ■
■
■ ►►'**'*
h 4*4 . .*.* mt .4.^lfll.^|l
Postcode
STGA 0983
FREE LITERATURE
CLUB NEWS
Welcome to your own part of the magazine!
This is where we hand the reins over to the readers. We'll print anything we think
will be of interest to others. Praise, complaints, help wanted or offered or, if you wish,
you can use these pages simply to let off steam. However, if your problem is with your
equipment, you should contact the shop you bought it from, or the manufacturer. If
they can't, or won't, help then we'll try to straighten things out for you.
When it comes to the games, though, we're ready and waiting. If, our regular
contributors don't know the answers, we'll try to find out from 'official' sources. But our
biggest source of help will undoubtedly be you, the readers.
Have you ever noticed that comets are usually seen first by amateur astronomers?
That's because there are only a few professionals around, and many thousands of
amateurs. It's the same with Gaming. Most manufacturers don't even know all there
is to know about their own games. Sometimes the designer deliberately hides
something in the programme or perhaps there's a 'bug' even he isn't aware of.
The secret room in Atari's Adventure is the most spectacular we've found, but we
also know of initials hidden in both Missile Command and Yars' Revenge, and there's
something odd in one of the rooms in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. We'll give a year's free
subscription to the first person who tells us something we didn't already know. We'd
also like to hear from you if you have had any bad experiences with mail order firms,
or if the club you belong to is extra good. And, if you're a would-be cartoonist or writer,
why not drop us a few lines enclosing samples of your work. Don't send us complete
novels or everything you've drawn since the year dot, a sample is all that is needed!
Who knows you might get both your work and your name in print.
CLUB NEWS
Our thanks to all of you who wrote in
wishing to become reviewers. We've
contacted a few people as well as short-
listing some others who we may contact
in the future. But. for various reasons,
our panel of reviewers will always
remain small. First, if we are to publish
reviews in time for readers to see them
before they buy the software then,
obviously, we need to examine the
cartridges before they appear in the
shops. This means that we often review
the early experimental prototypes
called EPROMS (Eraseable Program-
mable Read Only Memory). There are
only a few of these available for each
game and. as well as us. they are
needed by the suppliers' sales divisions
for demonstrations to the major shops
and stores. So the manufacturers don't
usually let them out of their custody and
when they do it's usually only for a short
time, such as over a weekend. Secondly,
because we have to have all our reviews
(and letters) in by over a month in
advance of publication, the fewer
people there are reviewing, the easier
the system is to administrate. Working
so far in advance as we do also explains
why most of the reviewers contributing
to this issue are from the south east.
However, we plan to include a northern
influence as soon as we can-
Dear TV Gamer
Enclosed is my entry form to try to win the
five new Atari cartridges- You may ask
'Why is he writing just tosay that?. Well, I .
am also writing to set you a challenge. It's
a problem that's been driving me up the
wall. It's this Raiders cartridge - 1 can't do
it. I can't End the Black Market, the Well of
Souls or anything (well almost). So
Please! Please! Please! Please! PLEASE!
could I have the solution. I would be very
grateful.
Mr Paul Tower,
Luton
Dear Paul,
Don '1 worry, you re certainly not the only
person who is having trouble with the
Haiders cartridge. In fact, it is mmoured
that even some of the Atari Programmers
couldn't manage it without help, so con-
sider yourself in good company.
The first thing you should do is read
through all of the instructions, there are a
lot of clues there but you do have to look
closely for them. Read between the lines
a bit as well. If you're still stumped then
use these tips which will point you in the
right direction - without spoiling the fun
of discovery.
The first thing to do is pick up the
grenade from the marketplace and use it
to blow a hole in the side of the Entrance
Boom. Walk to the right-hand side of the
60
room -select the grenade torn your inven-
tory strip, press your right-hand control
button and get the hell out of that screen
otherwise you lose a life from the blast.
Once you ve heard the grenade go off
then go back and walk through the hole
that has been made. Next go through the
temple entrance before exiting to the
lower right of the screen. You'll appear in
the dungeon of the room of the Shining
Light. Use your whip or gun to knock
holes in the dungeon walls. To use your
weapons you must be in motion -but stop
immediately after you've done so. The
wall will seal up if you bump into it after
you 've used your weapons. This wastes
time as you will have to try to get out
again.
The next important step is to find the
head of the Staff of Ba, which can be
located in the marketplace inside one of
the baskets. It only appears occasionally
so be patient and keep on trying. This
object is used later, once you've reached
the Map Boom.
You '11 need to visit the Black Market to
buy a shovel. At the bottom of the screen
a hard-bargaining Sheik is selling one lor
two baskets of coins. To get to the Black
Market you must give the Black Sheik
something (and it's not money).
To cross the Mesa Field you must
use the Ankh (in any room except the
Treasure Boom). During your journey the
Grappling Hook will be whirling around
you. Move your loystick forwards to
swing the hook out, backwards to haul it
in. To jump to a Mesa move the Hook
directly over another Mesa and press the
action button. If you miss don 't panic, just
press the button again and you 'II return
to the centre of the Mesa Field. Jump
down the Field towards the Map Room.
When you reach the last Mesa, drop the
Ankh, centre yourself and walk straight
down.
You will find yourself walking along a
strip of ground. Select the key and use it
to find and enter the Map Boom (the Map
Room is invisible until you reach the
entrance while holding the key).
Continue holding the key until you have
centred yourself on the pedestal. Then
select the head of the Staff of Ra and wait
until sunrise. Very soon the location of the
Ark will wake itself known toyou. Finally,
a riddle to help you on your way. "With
baskets of coins are Parachutes bought,
to bring you closer to the Treasure
sought. 'If you're still stuck after that then
there'sa Raiders' Helpline on (0753)24561.
Dear TV Gamer
Please could you tell me if the following
Atari video cartridges are in this country
yet:
Home Run
US Football
If they are. please could you tell me
where one can get these cartridges. I've
looked everywhere.
D.A. Simpson,
Leeds
Dear Mr Simpson,
Because they are both American games
the chances are that few places will
actually stock them. However we have
had reports of PAL versions of these
games being available. Your best bet
therefore would be either to contact
Atari's UK head ofBce in Slough or to try
Silica Shop at 1-4 The Mews, Hatherly
Road, Sidcup.
Dear TV Gamer
When the new Atari 5200 comes out in
Britain in the summer will you be doing a
survey on it and its tapes? I am thinking of
getting the system and 1 expect a lot of
other people will be as well.
John Poulter,
South Buislip
Dear John,
I'm afraid /Ve got a bit of bad news tor
you. The Atari 5200 will not now be
launched in the UK or Europe. Com-
menting on the decision, Eric Salomon,
Marketing Director of Atari International
(UK) Inc said "We are in a last moving
business of high technology. When we
isolate a marketing opportunity we seek
to Ml that gap. Sometimes those gaps
close and new ones arise before we can
introduce the product. This has been the
case with the 5200. 'Atari will be concen-
trating on the 2600 and a new series of
home computers as well as making soft-
ware for other systems.
CLUB NEWS
Dear TV Gamer
I need some expert advice. I have an
Atari VCS with five extra cartridges
namely: Defender, Missile Command,
Asteroids, Space Invaders and Street
Racer, and I am seriously considering
selling the whole package and buying a
4BK Spectrum, However, now 1 am not so
sure. Read onl I purchased your very
interesting magazine and discovered a
video system I had not even heard of, the
Coleco. After reading your obviously
very enthusiastic write up about it I
began to doubt my original decision.
Should I buy the Spectrum or the Coleco?
You see, I wanted to move into a posi-
tion where I would be able to programme
my own games but, when you covered
the Coleco s amazing assets, that's when
the trouble began. You mentioned in
your report that a keyboard will be avail-
able soon* Will that be of the membrane
or typewriter type? How much is it likely
to cost? How much would the adaptor for
Atari cartridges be?
You mentioned there was an adaptor
for the Atari coming out that would
enable games or cassettes to be played.
Will it be possible to put the Coleco
adaptor for Atan with the adaptor for
cassettes into the Coleco?!! (Work it out!)
Looking at the pnce of the Coleco
system, I thought it was rather expensive,
so is it likely to sell 12 million like the good
oP pioneering Atari and come down
rapidly in price?
Well, would you please lend me your
unbiased opinion and help me pick the
right unit I am having quite enough .
trouble bringing myself to pari with my
Atan, which I believe is truly the TV
Gamer's best friend. I say this for I have
heard no terrible things about the VCS
from anybody. It really is (or it shall soon
be 'was') a great computer system, it has
been good to me and has given me no
Aggro!!
Yours distressedly,
Paul Nugent
Co. Antrim
PS. Keep up the good work on TV Gamer!
PPS. Let's hope the Coleco is as good as
the Fender guitars made by the same
company!
DearPaul
Fear not the VCS is not dead yet; far torn
it In fact, the VCS is now being regarded
as the standard format the VHS of video
games. For the foreseeable future any-
way there will be a VCS version of
practically everything on the market So
don't think that you have to bury your
VCS unless you really want to.
As lor your dilemma concerning the
Spectrum vs the Colecovision you must
really ask yourself whether you want a
computer that plays games or a game
machine that computes. If you choose the
latter then you must ask yourself how
much you want to pay for your system.
Undoubtedly the Colecovision system
will work out more expensive but you will
end up with a better system.
The Colecovision system (the console)
can be bought for £147,95, the VCS
adaptor will cost £49. 95 as does the turbo
drive module. The home computer
module will have a full-stroke typewriter-
type keyboard and not one of those
thump-sensitive membrane keyboards.
Although there is no fixed price on it as
yet my guess is that it will be over £400.
As far as we know the Starpath Super-
charger will work quite satisfactorily with
the adaptor, though we cant say for sure
until we receive an adaptor for test I
hope that answers just about everything.
Dear TV Gamer
I have wntten to congratulate you on your
first edition of TV Gamer. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading it and found it very
informative,
1 would like to ask you a question about
Fast Freddie, one of Atari s games that I
often play at the amusement arcade.
Could you please tell me whether Atari
has produced this game or are in the
process of developing it lor VCS (Video
game units).
I have had my Atari only three
months, however, I have read a lot
about it, I have only two cartridges.
Combat and Pac-Man, but hopefully
will further my collection soon - maybe
by winning the Atari Video Cartridge
Competition!
Finally I'd like to congratulate again
all who were involved in the first edition
of TV Gamer.
Sarah Rough,
NewBornney
Dear Sarah t
Thanks for the compliment and glad
you like the magazine. As far as we
know, Atari have no immediate plans to
bring out Fast Freddie in either VCS or
400^800 computer formats* However, in
the States 20th Century Fox/Sihus
games are bringing out a very simitar
product on VCS format It's called Fast
Eddie t but no plans lor a UK launch are
scheduled yet
Dear TV Gamer
As I have just become interested in the
Vectrex System, I saw your mag on
the shelf and decided to purchase it.
Although I only got il for the information
about the Vectrex, 1 found the rest of the
mag very informative and will be buying
it each quarter. In the next issue could
you feature the cartridge Star Ship as it
was not featured in the Vectrex software
reviews. All the best and keep up the
good work.
Necromancer
Dear Necromancer,
For starters could you write and tell me
the ongms of that name? I'm intngued.
Secondly the cartndge you refer to. Star
Ship, is in fact Star Trek - the game which
we did feature in the last issue. You have
probably got hold of an early leaflet
where the game had an expenmental
name, used before the licence to call it
Star Trek came through. As all copies of
this game will be called Star Trek over
here, we didn V use or refer to the other
title.
Cartoon by Ian Bolton ot Ikleslon, Derbyshire.
61
WHERE TO BUY
You'll find Atari and Intellivision con-
soles and recent cartridges are widely
available. Radio Rentals hire out
Intellivision consoles in some parts of
the country. Colecovision and Vectrex.
being newer, may be somewhat harder
to find. Vectrex will be available in
branches of GHS.
If you can't get hold of a particular
game you may have to buy by post or go
to a specialist shop.
But try your local shop first. Even if
they don't normally stock the particular
game you want, they may be able to
order it for you. We've printed a list of
Trade Wholesalers in this issue to help
shops with their ordering. These whole-
salers won't deal directly with members
of the public, so there's no point in you
contacting them direct.
If you can't get hold of the cartridge
you want anywhere, you could write to
us and we'll try to help you. Please en-
close a stamped, addressed envelope.
Jlrgos National chain of over 300 shops.
Boots National chain ol over 250 shops.
260 shops England. Scotland
and Wales. M/O: Software Express,
Camera House, Cartwnght Road,
Stevenage, Herts SGI 4QD. (0483) 69123
Easy Video Shop & M/O: Games
Centre, 65 Station Road, West Drayton,
Middlesex UB7 7LR. West Drayton 41786
Games Centre Five shops, central
London, also Birmingham, Brighton and
Nottingham. 01-637 7911
E & E Enterprises Ltd PO Box 8,
Saltash, Cornwall PLI26YU. MO only.
Games Workshop Five shops:
London, Birmingham, Manchester,
Nottingham. Sheffield. M/O: 27/9
Sunbeam Rd, London NW10. 01-9653713
Gemini Electronics Shop & M/O:
50 Newton St, Manchester M 1 8DP.
061-236 3083 (Export)
Greens 65 sites in Debenhams,
Clements (Watford), Browns (Chester),
Harvey Nichols (London). M/O:
Greenchip Club, Academy House.
Trafalgar Way, Yorktown Industrial
Estate, Camberley. Surrey GU15 3BN.
027662421
Hamleys Shop & M/O: 188-196 Regent
St, London W1R 5DF. 01-734 3161
Ketts 40 shops, SE England. 0784 34488
(Egham, Surrey)
Maplin Shops London, Birmingham,
Westcliffe. M/O: PO Box 3, Rayleigh,
Essex SS6 8LR. 0702 554155. Catalogues
in large newsagents. (Export)
Menzies 1 10 shops countrywide, TV
games in 76 of the largest. 031-225 8555
Orbit 16 shops England & Wales.
01-387 5734
Rumbelows 371 shops England and
Wales. 0992 31988 (Waltham Cross)
Silica Shop Shop & M/O:
1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup,
Kent DAM 4DX. 01-301 1111 (Export)
W H Smith National chain of 350
branches. Special electronic games
centres are located in 120 of the largest
stores.
Video Palace 100 Oxford Street,
London, WIN 9FB. 01-637 0366
A= some branches only
CO
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CBS ELECT
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IMAGIC
MATTEL
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SPECTRA
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POINTMASTER
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Consoles/Carts
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VECTREX Consoles/Carts
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Thanks for your response to the questionnaire that appeared in the first edition
of TV Gamer. Your replies were very useful, and this issue has been adjusted accordingly.
This time we would like to know what you think of the major games companies . . . and we'd like
you to design your ideal games machine.
Firstly, about you.
Name
Address . . .
(postcode)
. . .
Which ITV station doyou receive 9
Are you male/female
Are you married /single
Are you at school/college/unemployed/at work
Your age Under 18
Please specify . .
18-24 □
45-54 □
...
25-34 □
55-64 □
35-44 □
65 & over LJ
What is the occupation of the head of your household 9
(If retired, please state last job before retirement )
How many issues of TV Gamer have you bought 9
iii»
About your games system.
1 Please put a nng round the system you use most and underline
any others you have
Atari VCS Intellivision
CBS/Colevision Vectrex
Olher(pleasename)
About your most used system
2 Inwhichyeardidyougetit ,
3 is » rented/bought?
A How many cartridges do you own for the system, including the
one that came with it 9
5 How many cartridges have you rented in the last month?
6 How many cartridges have you bought in the last three months'
7 Where do you rent your cartridges from?
8 What accessories have you bought for your system 9 (joysticks,
storage boxes, etc )
9 Whatisyourfavouritegame 9
1 Howlongdoyouexpecttogoon playing with your present games system?
2 Areyouplanningtobuyanyofthefollowmg: Areplacementvideogameofthesametype
A videogameof adifferenttype
A games playing computer
A 'serious' computer
3 Ifyou'veaparticulaxproductinmind,could you tell us which
years
■ till!
Competition section
To save you postage, we've grouped all the
removeable sections of this issue together. You don't
Vectrex competition (page 51)
Please enter the correct letter in each box
h h 1 « 1
18 ||9 ||. |
c
lEuL
Now complete this sentence 'The accessory I would most like for
my Vectrex would be a
because
Please [ill in the space, and complete the sentence in not more
than 20 words.
have to fill in the questionnaire to be eligible for the
competitions, nor will subscribers be at an
advantage.
CBS/Colecovision competition (page 17)
Please enter the page numbers the clues refer to into the boxes:
Ctu&l page - M
6 1 7 B 9 10
]
In the picture on page 17, 1 think Mano is saying.
■
Please write no more than 20 words
Please don't forget
Please post your entries to TV Gamer, 187 Oxford St., London W1R 1AJ. vournameand address.
QUESTIONNAIRE/SUBSCRIPTION
What do you think of the systems?
Please number in order >
of preference /
1 = besiormost 4 = worst or least / ^
W0A/
yf/f///
All round performance
Range of games
Picture and sound
1
Accessories
1
Value for money
Attractive console
Development potential
After sales service
What do you think of the games made to fit
your system?
Please number in order / <? / / $/ / / /
of preference /// ^ /$/&/§/$/
-best 6 = worst or least f^/^/^f^/^/tf/
Selection
Game ideas
Value for money
Overall gameplay
Help us to design the perfect
video game.
Listed below are a selection of features which a video game might
have. Please ring the five you think would be most important when
buying a new system.
Good sound
Low price
3D picture
Portable
Built-in screen
Ability to talk
Able to make up your own games
Able to play all your existing cartridges
Good picture
Wide selection of games
Stereo sound
Battery/mains powered
Voice operated
Able to play well-known arcade games
Can you think of any other features you'd like your next video game to have?
We'll give a year's free subscription to each of the five people giving the answers
the Editor considers to be the most imaginative and practical.
T
&#
How to subscribe to TV Gamer.
There are three ways to get the
next issue of TV Gamer.
1 Order a copy from your local
newsagent.
2 Hope that you'll see a copy •
before they sell out.
3 Subscribe.
For 1 and 2 you're on your own.
Tb subscribe, simply give us your
name and address and a cheque
or postal order for £4, and we'll
do the rest.
Tb make it even easier, you could
use Ihe form printed here. (And
we don't even need your name
and address if you've already put
(hem in the questionnaire.)
Yes, please send me the next four issues
of TV Gamer; starting with Christmas 1983.
I enclose cheque/postal order for £4.
Signed
Name
Address
Send your subscription to TV Gamer, 187 Oxford St, London, W1R 1 AJ
Exhibition News
There axe two major exhibitions taking place this Autumn
and TV Gamer has arranged for discounts on entry
prices.
The Home Entertainment Spectacular will cover the
whole range of electronic leisure products - Teletext,
cable and satellite TV, video discs, 3D and stereo TV, hi fi
and, of course, video games.
It all happens at Olympia, London from the 17th to the
25th September The Exhibition opens daily at 11.30am
and closes each night at 9pm - except for Monday
September 19th, when it's a free trade only session until
5pm.
Entry is £3 for Adults and £2 for children under 12, but you
can get £1 off these prices with the voucher printed here.
A host of our regular advertisers will be there with their
latest goodies on show. So why not go along and play with
the future!
Brainwave T 83 will be at the National Exhibition Centre in
Birmingham on November 4. 5 and 6th. It calls itself The
Home Computing. Video and Electronics Family Show r
and it seems likely to cater for computer people more
than video gamers.
Howevet Atari will be there showing their newest home
computers and the trusty 2600 will be on display along
with its latest games. CBS will have the Colecovision on
show - and, if you are lucky, there may be a computer
module ortwo as well Inaddition, there will be Coleco's
latest games for Atari and IntelUvision as well as those for
their own system.
There's a special bonus on Saturday November 5th - a
free Fireworks display after the Exhibition closes.
Hours are 10am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10am
to 5pm on Sunday, and the car park is free.
Entry is £3 for adults, and £1.50 for children under 14, or for
£7 you can buy a special family ticket that admits two
adults and two children. Group entry is available - for
details phone the organisers on 01-747 3131.
Readers can save by using the special money-off voucher
printed here.
THE GREAT HOME ENTERTAINMENT SPECTACULAR
17-25 September 1983 A Olympia. London
TV Game? Aulumn 1983
TW CHUT S^
Take this voucher lo The r ^ H0ME entertainment »2
Greai Home Entertainment Spectacular at Olympia SPECTACULAR
17/25 September 1983 and you will receive a £1 discount *%^r
on your entry tichel Not exchangeable lor cash. £*A
mmmmmmm
REDUCED
PRICE
ENTRY
VOUCHER
TV Gamer Autumn 1963
November 4. 5 and 6 1983
Reduced price
with this
voucher
Normal
Price
Adult
£3
£2.50
Child
(up to 14)
£1.50
£1
Family of 4
£7
£5
**<r
In the next issue we'll
show you how to find
this secret room.
This is the second TV Gamer quarterly guide to what's
what in the world of video games. The third issue is
scheduled for Christmas and it's going to be a bumper
edition . . .
Video Games Clubs - the official and the unofficial. What
they are, and what they can do for you. With comments
and reports from readers - including you if you write to
us soon!
Hidden Rooms and Secret Initials — several games
contain secret 'autographs' left by the designers. We
show you a few, and invite you to join us in the hunt for
more!
Top Prize Competitions
Another chance to win yourself a Coleco, or a Vectrex
with a unique new accessory, or a selection of Activision
cartridges or . . . but we mustn't give all our surprises
away.
Plus all the latest hardware news and tests, reviews of the
latest games, readers letters and our regular features,
including the only complete listing of all the games for the
most popular video systems in Britain.
Whose initials are
these? We'll tell you
the answer and show
you how to find them.
J TRADE INFORMATION
Manufacturers or Importers
The following are the manufacturers or
importers of TV Games Systems and
cartridges. Normally they will only
deal with large, approved accounts,
but traders may wish to contact them to
find their nearest wholesaler.
Atari International (UK) Ltd
Atari House, Railway Terrace, Slough,
Bucks SL2 SBZ. Slough 33344
CBS Electronics,
Headley Road East, Woodley,
Berkshire, RG5 4SG.
0734 698188
Computer Games Ltd (CGL)
CGL House, Goldings Hill, Loughton,
Essex 1G10 2RR. 01-508 5600
S Gold & Sons Ltd
777-779 High Road. Leytanstone,
London El 1 1 4QS. 01 558 2121/
015562429
Hales Ltd
PO Box 33. Harrowbrook Road. Hinckley,
Leicester IE103DN. 0455 610770
Knickerbocker Toy Co (UK)
Eskdale Road, Winnersh Triangle.
Wokingham, Bucks RG1 1 5LW
0734 698514
(Represent Atan to the Toy Trade)
Mattel Electronics (UK) Ltd,
Mattel House, North End Road,
Wembley, Middlesex. 01-900 031 1
Milton Bradley Ltd.
C P House, 97 Uxbridge Rd, Ealing.
London W5. 01 -567 3030
Palitoy Co Ltd
Owen St, Coalviile, Leicester. LE6 2DE.
0530 36388
Thomas Salter Ltd
15 Hazel Drive, Poynton, Stockport,
Cheshire. SK12 IPX. 0625 878886
Silver Fox
PO Box 16, Clacton on Sea, Essex.
0255 422034
Video Programme
Distributors Ltd
Building No 1 , GEC Estate, East Lane,
Wembley, Middx HA9 7FF. 01-904 0921
Vulcan Electronics Ltd
200 Brent Street, Hendon, London NW4.
01 203 6366/7
Here are a few wholesalers who
specialise in TV game systems and
cartridges. All of them will accept
single orders from retailers unless
otherwise noted. It's always best to
telephone first to check stock
availability, etc.
Easy Video
65 Station Rd. West Drayton, Middlesex
UB7 7LR. West Drayton 41786/7
G K Video
Warrington Road Industrial Estate,
Stephen's Way. Goose Green, Wigan.
0942495658
Lightning
84 1 Harrow Road. London NW10 5NR
01 969 5255 (enquiries)
01 969 8344 (orders)
R & R Computer Games
258 Pontefract Road, Cudworth,
Barnsley. 0226 710414
Silica Shop
1 -4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup,
Kent DAM 4DX. 01-301 1111
Terry Blood
Units 18-20, Rosevale Road, Parkhouse
Industrial Estate, Newcastle-under- Lyme,
Stalls. 0782 620321 (Min. order £50)
Video Supplies Ltd
Randolph Industrial Estate, Kilkuddy,
File, KYI 2YX. 0592 53481
Video World Wholesale Ltd
65 High Street, Gosforth. Tyne & Wear.
0632 84112819
Manufacturers and Importers
ATARI
CBS ELECTRONICS
COMPUTER GAMES
HALES
ATARI
INTELLIVISION
to
o
n
G
O
O
C artridges
Cartridges
O
9
KNICKERBOCKER
MATTEL
MILTON BRADLEY
PALITOY
THOMAS SALTER
SILVER FOX
VPD
VULCAN
Wholesalers
EASY VIDEO
S GOLD & SONS
LIGHTNING
R & R COMP GAMES
O
CO
O
S
o
03
O
SILICA SHOP
TERRY BLOOD
VIDEO SUPPLIES
VIDEO WORLD
O
5
w
o
3
o
o
o
AT LAST! A CLUB FOR THOSE
WHO TAKE GAMES SERIOUSLY
ENOUGH TO WANT TO SAVE MONEY!
ATARI - INTCLUVISION - COLECO - VECTREX - COMPUTER
D Club Membership costs just £1 — and that's refundable with
your first purchase!
O Every new member gets a beautiful game library case free of
charge!
D Each Membership Kit comes with a complete discount list for
Home Computers and Home Computer software as well as
Video Games Hardware and Software!
D Members get a free entry in a computerised games
exchange pool!
□ Atari 2600 and Intellivision owners will be given release date
information on the piggy back keyboards coming soon plus a
special 15% discount - you'll get it first at the lowest price!
Club Members may purchase all games at a very special
discount price - some as low as £10!
All new members will be entered in a prize draw for a
Mattel or Atari Keyboard. Winner to be announced in TV
Gamer
I WISH TO JOIN MICROGAME5
I ENCLOSE MY £1 MEMBERSHIP
NAME
ADDRESS
MY GAMES SYSTEM IS:
t
•
20k AQUARIUS! ATARI 400/800
AQUARIUS: The brand new Aquarius
Percent I Computer »s part of Mattel
Electronics latest developments in
advanced technology twd offers full
home computing facilities, m welt as
extensive gome ptav. using & very
wide range of plug in cartridge*.
Since Aquarius is a Mattel Electronics
product, it benefits by the company's
wide eapefience of producing high
technology equipment, as well as their game programming expertise which is evident
from the aovanced names which have been produced for the In television, Aquarius costs
£99 and comes with microsoft basic built in. it is so simple to use that you II be writing
your first programs within minutes of talcing the machine out of its box. Vou can even
record the programs on your own cassette recorder at home, so you can use them again
at a later date. Most available domestic tape recorders are compatible with the Aquarius.
A POWERFUL MACHINE: For all it's simplicity, it is also very sophisticated. It has a
780A processor and it comes with 8K of built in ROM and ?0K of RAM, expandable
to 52K. It has a display of 40x24 characters, and a graphic resolution of 370x192 with
a total character set of 256 (including the complete ASCI I set with upper and lower case
letters, numbers and additional graphic symbols). The keyboard has 49 full stroke
moving keys, unlike some of the cheaper machines which have membrane keyboards
The si*e of the machine (excluding any of the additional peripherals!, is 13"x6"x2*\
PERIPHER ALS: It is very easy to increase the capabilities of your Aquarius as ail the
peripherals' plug uraKjht mio one another. You can add a Printer, a Modem, a Data
Recorder, Mini Expander and other items. All of the peripherals ace very easy to install
and what is more, they're easy to use. But the beat news of all is, they're easy to afford.
CPM OPERATING CAPABILITY : The Aquarius is capable of being expanded to 52K
RAM and later in 1983 a disk drive will be ovailable for It, with the commercial CPM
busmen operating system. This will allow you accesi to one of the largest software
libraries in the world, with literally hundredi of programs available for you to use.
CARTRIDGES: Various sophisticated programs will be launched on plug in cartridges
such as a Visicalc type spreadiheeT and a word processor. In addition there will be
dozens of games and utilities and alternative languages such as
Logo, which combined with the built in microsoft basic gives an
unbeatable combination of high quality programming ability.
20K MATTEL AQUARIUS - £86 + VAT = £99
NEW LOW PRICES
ATARI 400/800- With the Atari Personal
Computer*, you can play the ultimate in I
T.V. games, teach yourself new subjects
or ikillt, balance budgets, and even write
your own computer programs in Basic.
SPECIFICATIONS: Both the Atari 400
and 800 can display In up to 16 colours,
each with 16 intensities. They have four
independent sound synthesisers for mutic
tunes/game sounds, giving four octaves
with variable volume and tone control on
your T\V*s speaker. The display graphics
;,n- of arrwinq quality, having ■ detailed ftaOfcltlOool 320 H IK, wnprlftl M IjM-ri
40 characters Atari personal computers have a standard 10K ROM operating lystem. In
addition the standard Atari 400 Ifl29) comes with 16K ol RAM and the expanded
version with 4BK ff 1781. The Atari 800 <f?79> comes with 4BK » standard Both the
400 and 800 are now supplied with a FREE £40 Basic Programming Kit which includes
the Basic Programming Cartridge, as well as a 120 page Basic Reference Manual and the
1B4 page Self Teaching Manual by Bill Carris called 'Inside Atari Basic', so you can begin
programming straight away, without buying any 'extras'. Even a mams plug is supplied!
OVER 500 PR OGR AMS AVAILABLE: The Atari computers are supported by well over
S00 proqrams nvw Utile tor your use. a larger selection than you will find on any other
television game or home computer! The wide selection puts Atari way ahead of the
competition. Just fill in the coupon and we will be pleased to send you a fuM price list
which gives details of our range of software available for entertainment, home education,
programming and home office use We think you'll agree when we say it's Quite impressive.
100 FREE PROGR AMS F ROM SILIC A SHOJV M yuu t>uy your Amn Home Computer
Irom SiTTm Shop, you will recieve a FREE presentation pack of 6 cassettes, containing
100 programs including games, utilities and demonstrations. A 16 page booklet giving full
details of all of these program! is available on request, tf you have already purchased
your computer elsewhere you can buy the set of 6 cassettes for £30. What's more. Silica
Shop offer a two year guarantee on all computers as well at a FREE joystick This adds
up to a great offer that we believe can't be beaten or matched by any of our competitors.
ATARI 400 16K -£112.17 + VAT = £129
ATARI 400 48K -£154.78 + VAT = £178
ATARI 800 48K - £242,60 + VAT = £279
t
•
COLECOVISION
THEJJVSXEM; The CBS Colecovrsion
offers new standard^ in video game
play. The excellent graphics are well
implemented with arcade titles such
as Zaxxon, Lady Bug, Gorf f Wizard
of Wor, Carnival, Mouse Trap and the
lovable Smurfs. The consote comes
supplied w»th a three screen arcade
quality version ol DONKEY KONG.
Parker and other companies have also
announced ranges of cartridges for
Colecovision 4 to further enhance the
wide range of quality titles available
for this new television games machine.
THE CONSOLE; The CBS Colecovision video games system nas advanced technology
which produces superlative graphici resolution and excellent sound effects. The styling
of the console and hand controllers has been carefully researched; the console is designed
to complement modern hi-tech equipment, and has clear features for easy operation
The hand controllers allow fingertip control via the 8 direction |oyit«ck f and feature ?
independent fire buttons. The push button keyboard is used for game selection and for
game control with some cartridges. The hand controllers era detachable and are connected
to sjx feet ol telephone coil cable, storing neatly away in the console when not in use.
ATARI EX PA NSION MODULE: The Alan converter module allows Atari VCS software
rar fudges in r.r iii.ivtt] on 35 Colt CO V tf Ofl Comofc, allowing ownen ihe freedom to
purchase from the extensive range ol Atari compatible cartridges. It also means that
existing Atari owners can buy the CBS Colecovision games system without discarding
their software library. Silica Shop offer part exchange facilities if you wish to upgrade.
TURBO EXPA NSION MOD ULE: The Tuitio Dnvrt Enpansion Modulo allows you to
actually drive tie vehicle that appears an your T.V. screen. The module consists of a
steering wheel, dashboard and accelerator pedal. One hand controller is mou
dashboard to provide a gear change unit. The module comes complete
Driver cartridge, the first of several cartridges to make use of the module
all the action of sitting in the driving seat. This facility is unique to *
HOME COMPU TER EXPAN SIO N MODULE: The Home Computer Module scheduled
into a
VECTREX
with a Turbo
whtch provides
IP CBS Colecovision
for late"T583. allows conversion of the games unit
sophisticated Home Computer. This flexibility of design
is an important feature of the CBS Colecovision System.
COLECOVISION -£127.82 + VAT = £147
£147
TH E SYSTEM: Vectrex is a totally unique Home
Aicade System, which has been exclusively designed and
engineered to duplicate real arcade game play. Complete
with its own monitor display, Vectrex won't cause anv
arguments over the use of the family's television because
it has its own built in screen.
THE SCREEN; Vectrei does not usa ordinary display
techniques, instead tt uses vector scanning to control ihe
images on the icreen. With this scanning method, the
gun only updates the area of the screen that has changed,
whrreas a normal T.V. re transmits the ENTIRE screen
50 times a minute. It is this that gives Vectro* its speed,
and means that very little computer power is required
for screen control, end the results provide very fast
responding and dear images. These *Vecior Graphics'
are used m several arcade games such as Asteroids and
BottiWone, to give you incredibly high resolution and
quality- Vectrex brings all of this from the arcade right
into your living room. The Vectrex screen is capable of
displaying B0 columns by 40 lines, which is significant
- to the emtensive developments planned for the system.
EXCITIN G SO UNDS AND E LEC TRONICS: Vectrex has an advanced microprocessor
with more speed and power and exciting effects than many home video games systems.
REAL ARCAPE CONTRO LS^ Wctres has a unique control panel, similar to those used
rr^ny -Vdl arcade games' with 4 concave action buttons and a full 360 r self centering
joystick , This control panel has a 4 foot detachable cord for maximum player freedom
R EAL ARCADE GR APHICS: Vectrex has its own 9 inch vertical screen and unlike a
convene nna( T V icreen, uses advanced display technology to achieve brilliant, high
resolution imagery and superb game play never before possible. The Vectrex display
provifJes special effects too, such as 3D rotation and zooming in and out, which a
regular TV. cannot match. Using a black and white monitor, each Vectrex game comrs
supplied with its own coloured plastic screen overlay to add to the excitement of game
play. The range ol Vectrex cartridges (C19.QS wehl. gives a good selection ol arcade
games such as 8er*ark. Scramble, Rip-Off and Bomber Attack Vectrex comes complete
with a fast paced •Minostorm* game built into memory.
vtcrREx_ v.iri-* rust an admnctd itattHri flu ni
microprocessor with more speed than other T V games
VECTREX -£112.17* VAT = £129.00
WHO ARE SILICA SHOP?
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1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup. Kent, DA14 4DX
Telephone: 01 309 1111 or 01 301 1111
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ATARI VCS (2600) - THE NO 1 BRAND LEADER IN THE U.K.
ATARI: The Atari Video Computer System known as the Attn VCS or the 2600 h« now
become the IV game brand leader In the U.K. there ere over 700.000 owners of the
VCS with access to a range of over 200 different plug m cartridges, each having a multitude
of different variation* and difficulty (evert. Every system comes complete with the main
console, two individual joystick controller*, a pair of paddle controller?, aerial splitter,
maim adaptor, a 77 game Combat cartridge and a FREE 112 game SPACE INVADERS
cut tntlqtt The console alio incorporate* special circuits designed ro protect your T V- set.
SECON D HAN D GAMES: We currently have several secondhand Atari VCS units in slock
which we are selling for only f 39 fine VAT). This price includes the Console, with Combat
Cartridge and all the accessories, as well as a 12 month guarantee.
We also have stocks of several secondhand cartridge* many at hall
price lall with 12 momh guarantee). We will normally buy back
secondhand units and cartridges at K ol our normal selling price.
EXTEHHVE CARTRIDGE RANGE: The Atari VCS h so popular thai in addition to
Atari's own cartridges, there are over 160 compatible cartridges, produced by at feast a
dozen different third party manufacturers. Silica Shop has one o! the largest cartridge selections available in the U.K. Our range of
over 200 titles (printed either side of this column), includes items in stock now. as well as many of the now releases lor later in 19B3
SILICA ATARI CLUB; Silica Shop has over 20.000 Atari VCS club members registered on our computer. As a specialist company
*v art' able to obiaVn adtssHpl EntbrTTOtlOfl ptattl new developments and send detailed c.iiniociuea: *<> .nit ol our club it^miMM',. unfiling
them to evaluate new product* before they buy* This is a totally FREE service, to receive your copies complete the coupon below.
SERVICE CENTRE: Atari International 1UK) Inc has recently appointed Silica Shop as an authorised Atari Service Centre. This
means that we can now service your Atari VCS or 400/800 lunder guarantee if applicable), whether or not you purchased it from us.
VCS COMPUTER KEYBOARD; A keyboard witl soon be launched to convert the VCS into a fully programmable home computer.
For further details, loin our club by completing the coupon below. Wo will then let you know when further information is available.
STARPATH SUPfRCHARGEH; Th* supercharger plugs into the cartridge socket of your VCS and expands its RAM almost 50 fold,
from 178 to 6.272 bytes. This increased memory add* vivid high resolution graphics capabilities and significantly lengthens the game
playing time. Supercharger has a range of multi-toad games (at £19.45 each), these offer the facility to play a
game in several distinct parts (great for adventures), the ne*t section being loaded when you have completed
the previous one, thus enhancing the game play. For further information please complete the coupon below,
ATARI VCS CONSOLE -With SPACE INVADERS + COMBAT £60 + VAT = £69
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We stock a wide range of accessories for the Atari VCS and 400/800 personal computers.
The same accessories can be used on the Commodore VIC range of computers. The Wico
rangpi can atto be used with the Texas Instruments computers on purchasing a special
adaptor. To give you an Idea of the range available, just take a took at the following list:
Trackball
by Wico
LE STICK: A mercury filled joystick specially made
for one handed operation, with thumb fire button,
QUICK - SHOT: This joystick features e contoured
handle grip, thumb trigger and optional base lire
button. It is supplied with 4 sure foot suction grips.
STARFIGHTSR; Neat and compact with a small
direction stick Metal interior for added strength.
VIDEO COMMAND: With a
tapered handle, this joystick
is for one handed use. It hea
a directional control which is similar to a jet fighter loystick.
WI CO RED HALL: An arcade type joystick with a red ball handle,
it 'i MTu'ir, ? tm rwM:?!i hMptrthHt*, dm jt tt-fl beM and one on the
stick. It comes supplied with 4 grip padt for easier table top use*
WICO STRAIGHT - STICK: The main feature of this
Joystick is F5 arcade style, bat handle grip. It also has 2
fire buttons. Four grip pad* included for table top use.
wico trackball a true Midi rtytfl inrtlMll fw
usevvitrFyour Atari or Commodore VIC. This product is
designed to give arcade control in your living room.
12' EXTENSION LEAD: A 12* extension for Atari and
Atari compatible joysticks for greater player freedom.
Wico
5iraigh!
Stick
with
Stick
Fire
Button
MATTEL
INTELLIVISION
MATTEL INTELLIVtSION: The
Mattel games unit is a most versat i le
T, V. game which offers 3 ■ graphtcs
quality for only £98. Each cartridge
comes wilh 2overleys which fit over
the unique hand controller giving
easy directions for game play. Using
the hanofcet's control disc, objects
can be moved accurately in 16 directions giving a realistic simulation of lifelike movement.
From l*t September 19B3, the Mattel Intellivtsion T V Games Console will come with a
FREE VOICE SYNTHESIS MOOUIE. normally priced at CM. This unit creates high
quality synthesiser} male end female voices as part of the gome ptey on certain cartridge*.
HLPt MATTE I ^AftllMp^r^jjtLtAaCS. tV > 'hh kSSSSSStaj rtw (nupon t»v*«wf ,nn fhp S-(« M»it*J Owm
nifwty tiflfifpaM •MtJoMr Im ihe •*■«**. *Ad - tmoll alprfan ffoiri ihm n l>«i*tl &*Hi*t
MATTtL Attn SqUfoi. aw*** Tktm 6*1/ 1 ftmrftta. r;»m f Poudy M(rUAi«tn LucuSAof *on . M-h-uh X, Mywtr Citit*.
Vi«rp 5hei + ilulot SaVii . SfiJCe Shullbi^ Vauro^. tftn%V Otv^VMt ACtlVlSION M^tpy T*fc*i L l a ittall 4 jtrr^Hie
eiuvtVHil.GiinrftfJ. OonftvvK^^CtiH. Mo«jw-|*ip r ^nyrt 5qJ-( lot" T u ,Io f V^iint. W^wdv* Wo* . /<.>^
, &*nt*f nracul*. If* f'«*. N0MI BlMl. ft*'i*T«i**#. S«nnH * Vtfwnlt, Ifopol Tfch*C>> rt»..t- W*1ffr
L J-*n« Boo<I 007. iwd nl thu H'ni. r^^. Q bo. So.drt*wi St* VAtri 5«p« Cifbra Tvt*n*ti^r
COMPUTER KEYBOARD: In July/Ai»gust 1983, Mattel will be launching their new
fB9, 49*kev computer keyboard attachment called 'Lucky* which rs fully programmable
and has microsoft basic built in. It will transform your Master Component into a home
computer. The adaptor also accepts a 6 note polyphonic music
synthesiser and full safe 49-key ptano keyboard that will make
learning music as easy as playing games.
MATTEL + VOICE - £85.22 + VAT ■ £98.00
VIDEO GAME CLUBl FREE LITERATURE
In a fast moving market like video games, it is difficult to keep up to date with all the
developments that take place With npw programme* and accessories being introduced ax
a fast rate by several different manufacturers . It is impossible to get all the Information
you require from one manufacturer alone. It is for this issecon. that we have set up
owners clubs for the more popular video games and home computers, to keep you fully
up to date with what is going on with your particular machine. As far as we know, Silica
Shop are the only company to offer such clubs, but that is not surprising since we 9t9
the specialists. We currently have FREE clubs for the Atari VCS. Atari 400/000 home
computers, and Mattel Intallivisvon. Soon we will have clubs for Coleooveuon, Aquarius
and Veen**- So it you own one of these machines, fill in the coupon opposite, and we
will enrol you FREE OF CHARGE m the ctub relevant to your computer or video game
FREE LITERATURE - Please send me your FREE LITERATURE and
catalogues on ihe folluwnfl items:
OWNERS CLUB i already own the following products, please enrol
me m your FREE club:
■"Mi
01-309 1111
'MIIIIMl
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SILICA SHOP LIMITED, Dept ZTGA 0983
1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 4DX
Telephone: 01-309 1111 or 01301 1111
/
Mr/MrsyMr»:..
Address;
n. Initials; M—r-i Surname
Postcode
ZTGA 0983
FREE LITERATURE
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